Update: Kelly Blazek, Head of Cleveland Job Bank, Writes Scathing Emails to Local Job Seekers

1. Nasty lady.

2. What an arrogant idiot.

3. some need to knock her down a couple of notches

4. She thinks she is the godfather of jobs on Ohio – I say she needs to be knocked down quite a few pegs.

5. Ouch!! She needs to attend a class in communication skills; and drop her attitude of hierarchy over those who seek her help. Did not someone mentor her? Kelly forgot when she was new.

6. This is a little ridiculous: “Please learn that a LinkedIn connection is the equivalent of a personal recommendation. If I haven’t heard of someone, met them, or worked with them, why would I ever vouch for them on LinkedIn?”

   Yes, as someone who has hired in the past, I would most assuredly assume a Linkedin connection a prospective employee is equivalent to that Linkedin connection “vouching” for them. Ms. Blazek should understand social media better than that, and take it (and herself) a little less seriously. We all know that Linkedin and other social media doesn’t reflect real life.

7. I would not even accept a handjob from her.

8. Sadly, she’s showing her age and lack of SM savvy. The “rules” on LinkedIn changed quite a bit ago. It’s perfectly permissible to link with folks you don’t know – otherwise how will you meet new people? (And as for “vouching” for people – that’d be what recommendations and endorsements are for)

   All the requests seem quite polite to me. She seems like she might have a bit of a chip on her shoulder. Perhaps she’s going through a bad patch?

9. I no longer feel so bad about her denying my request for help. Now I don’t even want her help if this is how she treats people. Horrid work ethic and professional behaviour.

10. It is this kind of treatment that managers inflict on people that is ruining this country… They think they are god and above all others. Eff them!!!!!

11. Narcissistic personality disorder.

12. A friend told me she wrote him a nasty denial in 2009, but he doesn’t have it anymore.

13. To Roni, Please don’t find this as a reflection on us over 40 professionals. Many of us do want and seek to mentor and help 20 some-things in their careers and life.

14. I’m sure she’ll just say her account was hacked. That seems to me the standard excuse.. er response.

15. I don’t know her personally, but I am a member of her Yahoo group and it clearly states that in order to be accepted, you have to write an introduction with a brief summary of your background. If this person didn’t follow the instructions, then she has every right to deny them.

    The tone which was taken is harsh. Makes me wonder if she’s dealing with something in her personal life.

    The job board isn’t worth it, in my opinion. I’ve been job hunting for 6 months and I rarely get a response from the companies where I apply. I miss basic business courtesy.

16. Who?

17. This lady is a joke. How did someone so self centered and egotistical end up head of the Cleveland Job Bank? This kind of behavior puts a bad light on the Cleveland job scene.

18. I say another person with a good network, ethics, communication skills, professionalism and a desire to mentor those who are actively seeking work without being so elitist, biased, down right nasty, open their OWN Job Bank and really help people. Perhaps some humility and humble pie is in order for this lady. I have worked in Corporate America for many years in a management position and have the task of hiring and firing people. If she was acting like this doing work for our Firm, she would most assuredly be terminated. No one needs another stiff, snobbish, egotistical bitch with something to prove in the work force and I’d be leery of anyone who actually works with her and condones this. I certainly wouldn’t want to work for them either.

19. Hope, I am working on it!

20. I would hope this isn’t true. I have used her service previously and did receive a note when I asked her to LinkIn, but it wasn’t rude in any way. It was a simple explanation that she did not connect with those she does not know.

21. Gemba Communications you say? Sounds more like “goombah communications”.

22. Part of what bothers me is she keeps speaking of how the job seeker can do nothing for “her”.

23. I think that perhaps we should find out who this job seeker is and not only add him/her on LinkedIn, but also do what we can to get him/her a job.

24. Kelly Blazek deserves alot of credit for publicly expressing her stance on how job seekers are viewed by the gate masters. When job seekers fail to find work the blame goes on them as they are accused of being lazy, they don’t know how to write a resume, they don’t network enough. they spend too much time on facebook instead of searching for work. The job seeker will try to explain to others that hiring managers are not qualified for their positions and are arrogant and will do whatever it takes for a highly qualified candidate to not have a chance of getting that interview and most definitely that job they applied for. Those that hear these job seeker’s complaints will not listen and they continue to shun those out of work. Kelly has publicly expressed what is reality and for those that do not like what she has to say then you are not part of reality either. How many engineers are out of work? How many lawyers are out of work. How many corporations hire lobbyists to demand that their congressional and senate puppets raise annual quotas of importing cheap technical labor on H-1B and other visas. Senator Ted Cruz proposed an increase of H-1B visas from 65,000 to 325,000 annually, who told him to propose that? No people Kelly Blazek did nothing wrong she just admitted reality and y’all can not believe what reality is..

25. Isn’t it interesting that I agree with her? She’s right. Too bad so many 20 and 30 year olds don’t like her responses, but I actually agree with her.

26. I can’t believe how pathetic this woman is. I am in utter shock that someone would be so rude. There is nothing professional about her. Hopefully all of her “worthy” followers unsubscribe so Kelly herself can feel the “sting” of the job hunt. We will see how far her “game changer” resume gets her. I’m guessing no where with a chip on your shoulder and a poor attitude.

27. In the end, you have to feel sorry for her. Only an acutely damaged person would need to think so highly of herself.

28. Geeze Louise, what an ass! This language is out of line for any established professional, but one whose career is jobs placement should be immune from errors of this kind.

    If this woman actually thought it was detrimental to include the young job seeker in her Yahoo Group or LinkedIn profile, there were plenty of gracious ways to say that and many other positive things she could have said to help. “I’m sorry, I do not work with people in your circumstances, but I can recommend this (book, resource, etc.) that others in your situation have found very helpful.”

    Anyone who demeans an unemployed job seeker to inflate their own ego is cruel, and not someone I would care to do business with.

    BTW, nice to see a young person returning to Cleveland, and my suggestion is, build a network of local people. Get involved in politics, or your church, or a volunteer organization and when you find people you like who are working, buy one a cup of coffee once or twice a week and ask for their advice.

    I hope the young job seeker has great success in finding work and enjoys living here.

29. Gee, I wonder if I could hire Kelly Blazek to come to my house and perform a Black Mass lol. What a hateful harpy!

    On the other hand, doesn’t her comment about LinkedIn remind you that back in the day, when the telephone was new, many people considered it rude and bush league to phone someone if you hadn’t been properly introduced?
    “Please learn that a LinkedIn connection is the equivalent of a personal recommendation. If I haven’t heard of someone, met them, or worked with them, why would I ever vouch for them on LinkedIn?

30. ^ Nice try, Kelly

31. Reading her LinkedIn profile she appears to have been a solid performer and quite a few people have said she is personable. It makes you wonder what her story is and why she is so hateful towards people that are looking to get a career. People who reach out to you should not be met with such unprofessionalism. I understand that no one should be given a handout, but if she is so adamant on changing “green” professionals then maybe she should be doing something about it instead of just rubbing it in their faces.

32. I’m just glad she wasn’t my mentor with that Holy Her than Thou attitude, As a Retired executive , I learned more by reaching out to young professionals. This lady is another mistake bye the lake !!

33. This is taken directly from her yahoo bio “[I am}not a headhunter or a recruiter, but a senior communications executive who just enjoys helping others in her profession.” Really? Helping people by writing scathing emails like that? Totally unprofessional. I hope the backlash is far and wide… (and side note…all of her accounts are currently down…let the backlash begin!)

34. As “an communications executive in a major global corporation,” all I can say is, wow! How stupid to write emails like this. You would think someone who is (was?) “2013 IABC Communicator of the Year” would know better than to send emails like that. They might get spread via social media!!

35. I’ve been on her yahoo group for a while and appreciate receiving the job listings. Since she’s no longer my favorite source of job postings, what are some good alternatives?

36. Although her tone was crass, her message should be listened to.
    if you are looking for a job or a promotion, understand that HR receives hundreds of bogus, u ntailored emails and resumes daily.
    it has to be so annoying to have to shuffle through all those generic emails.
    I actually would like for kelly to give a resume workshop or a class.
    I would attend and try to understand what these headhunter, gatekeepers, temp agencies. Etc… are really looking for.

37. she’s got “issues” for sure! i could tell some stories but it sounds like she’s getting what she deserves w/o my $.02

38. That’s cute how Kelly posted here under the name Joe Smith.

39. Way to attract young talent to Cleveland.

40. My girlfriend’s normally sweet but bi-polar sister would write something like this.

41. Writing this from Texas. Hope this lady ends up being the one reaching out looking for career opportunities. Her current gig is OVER.

42. To Joe Smith 1. I don’t car if the job seeker told you/Kelly to F$#@-off. It is VERY unprofessional for a “Senior Professional” to write such an email. That was a mentoring moment. At the very least a canned response was warranted and if the job seeker was belligerent, harassing, or rude, you could block their email and requests. Heck, LinkedIn has a button you can press to report users. There is no excuse for such behavior. Don’t drink wine when answering your emails.

43. Who the hell still uses Yahoo groups?? LOL

44. I am ashamed that Kelly is a fellow member of IABC (International Association of Business Communicators). Her attitude is in no way indicative of how the vast majority of IABCers help each other — whether we are senior and well connected, or junior and looking for that first job.

45. Jane you ignorant slut.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfAC77jWgzs

46. This isn’t all that surprising. The “experienced” generation of workers in Cleveland really doesn’t get it. They want Cleveland to grow and innovate but won’t do a thing to help make it happen and in many cases (like this one) just play defense to protect their suburban lifestyle.

47. She should read the book never eat alone. Karma baby. LOL

48. I have 600+ connections on Linked-In, some of which she might find quite useful, and we have 44 shared connections, but I wouldn’t try to connect with her because she sounds too scary.

49. I think with the economy in the dumps, job searching is a very depressing place to be. Kelly’s response should have been a little more supportive and sensitive to job seekers pulling at any strings to find work. Shame on you Kelly!!!!!

50. I would personally like to take Kelly out to the Bedford Douche ‘n Scrub on BOGO Wednesdays and hose that Beast down with 35 seconds of 400 PSI of acetone, and watch her melt like the wicked witch she is. I guess it is too much to just be civil to people you look down on, eh Kelly? By the way, Kelly, your name is close to being an anagram for Belly Elk Sak. BOOM!

51. She ripped me a new one via phone when I attended Cleveland State. I simply wanted to interview her for a class. Once a bitch always a bitch.

52. Way to go, Kelly, you’ve earned my “Roaring Egregious Thunder-SeeYouNextTuesday” award for today. And tomorrow. And next week. Here’s hoping a little bit of the “help” you’ve shown this young jobseeker comes back your way, and soon.

53. I have the email response from her to take all the marbles and I will share it as soon as I can find it. In 2011 I emailed her and mentioned my military experience (3 tours ‘Nam, Falkland Island Special Adviser, Desert Storm, etc.) she stated that “military rats as a rule were barely able to follow simple commands, let alone navigate the complex and arduous rigors of corporate brinksmanship.” she went on to suggest I seek a job “parking cars” and further stated “she had no time for baby killers.” In this email she also stated, “cops, firefighters and EMT’s are all of your same military-minded ilk- limited, unskilled mouth breathers who without their public service jobs would likely be drunk in a park, considering the molestation of children.”
    Obviously I thought this was out of line and when I wrote back asking if it was a joke, she propositioned me for a sex act so filthy and lewd that I have never repeated it to anyone. Suffice to say it was way beyond any of the sexual perversions I had seen or even heard of in The ‘Nam.

54. Wow. What a bitch. Just give a short rejection and move on. She’s wasting her time on all these nasty tirades. I wouldn’t want her high-and-might advice or contacts anyway.

55. As a twenty-something year old seeking a professional career, this adds to the upsetting results. Our generation is hardly entitled.. to put it simply, we’re fucked. I went to college (of course knowing it wasn’t a guarantee for a career in this economy) and have attempted too many applications, cover letters, resumes, and networking opportunities. The person who wrote that request was just putting herself out there, she’s excited to come back to Cleveland… All I’m saying is the real world is a bitch enough, how about we try to be a community that doesn’t do the bitch slapping?

56. Joe Smith. WOW. You could have at least put as much effort as you did into your egotistical hateful emails as you did fake screen name. Nice try though.

57. Joe, I believe you are missing the point here. Couth matters! She esteems herself as an important professional but does not conduct herself as such. Also, she did not bravely take a public stance, she was outed. While there may be some truth to the “reality” you mentioned, it does not excuse the way she responded to those job seekers. It sounds like you may have a chip in your shoulder. You made sweeping generalizations and seemed particularly angry in your comment. Perhaps that is why you are willing to overlook what so many others found inappropriate and unacceptable.

58. “My Job Bank is a gift of my personal time and effort to benefit my profession. It’s a privilege to help thousands of jobseekers – but I have my limits.”

    Like a sense of compassion?

59. I’ve been a member of Kelly’s Yahoo group for many years and there has to be something more to it than this. Just on the surface though, she has always been very clear in how to apply and the requirements are few. Contacting her unsolicited on LI about the group is NOT how to do it. The 960 people she has on LI are her personal contacts. There are several thousand in the Yahoo Group. Instead of criticizing Kelly’s lack of SM skills, consider this “young” job seeker who cannot figure out how to search “Kelly Blazek Ohio Job Bank” and stumble upon the correct group with application instructions. Following instructions is also a key skill regardless of one’s age. LI isn’t FB, to the seasoned professionals out here. She doesn’t want a “hey, help me find a job” request on LI from someone she knows nothing of anymore than the rest of us do. That being said, her reply was a bit harsh but, you know, if you get a job, you might have to learn how to deal with a boss having a bad day.

60. I hope she loses her fucking job – she’s a nasty, vicious, self-serving bitch completely uninterested in doing anything which doesn’t directly benefit her personally.

61. The idea behind link is is that you are only supposed to connect with people you know. That’s true. But connecting with one person does NOT give you access to their contacts.

62. stick a fork in her.

63. She did the same thing to a friend of mine about 2 years ago! When the email was read to me, I couldn’t believe how cold and nasty she was. We urged my friend to post it but she never did. What goes around, comes around Kelly. Good riddance!

64. Kelly does exceptional work, is incredibly consistent, and painstakingly compiles the best list in town, (If you are a Public Relations, Communications or Nonprofit Professional). She works exclusively through networks and personal introductions; she doesn’t do entry level; and she sticks to her specialty.

    In this job market, in this city, in the middle of the worst winter in memory, we’re all running somewhere between “frequently irritated” and “intentionally biting heads off”. She most assuredly should have been kinder and more encouraging, instead of so blatantly harsh, but then, so should we…

65. Channel 3 just publicized her nasty email all over their 7:00 news…

66. Looks like someone needs to spend some time on unemployment to see what its like to find a job!!!!!

67. I have known Kelly for years on both a professional and personal level. She is intelligent but direct in her communication style. I think it is a shame that people are making these types of comments based upon her response to this individual. Her board is very clear about the types of individuals that she works with as this is something she does to help senior professionals in Cleveland. She does this completely voluntarily based upon her passion to help others in Cleveland. May I suggest to the individual that posted this – check out the 20/30 Club or the general LinkedIn Networking group for Cleveland which holds great events with all ranges and levels of professionals.

68. Did anyone see her apology? How empty is that? She has been sending these scathing emails to poor recipients for years and how convenient that her apology comes out after the emails went public?!? I hope this woman never recovers from this. What a POOR excuse for a Clevelander!

    Here’s her pathetic excuse for an apology:

    Kelly Blazek’s apology:

    “I am very sorry to the people I have hurt.

    Creating and updating the Cleveland Job Bank listings has been my hobby for more than ten years. It started as a labor of love for the marketing industry, but somehow it also became a labor, and I vented my frustrations on the very people I set out to help.

    Hundreds of people contact me every month looking for help, and as the bottom fell out of the job market, their outreach and requests demanded more of my time. I became shortsighted and impatient, and that was wrong.

    My Job Bank listings were supposed to be about hope, and I failed that. In my harsh reply notes, I lost my perspective about how to help, and I also lost sight of kindness, which is why I started the Job Bank listings in the first place.

    The note I sent to Diana was rude, unwelcoming, unprofessional and wrong. I am reaching out to her to apologize. Diana and her generation are the future of this city. I wish her all the best in landing a job in this great town.”

69. My daughter’s former roommate, Niçoise moved here from Trinidad in search of a better life and she sent Kelly Blazek a request to be added to the job board or whatever it is. What she got back was so rude. Criticizing her English and how she must be a “moron” and would never get a job being so stupid. Well the next day Monique committed suicide and on the letter from Kelly Blazek Niçoise had written, “there are no happyness in this hole world, no good salad, good bye.”
    thanks for your “gift” Kelly Blazek.

70. Today (2/26) is #PinkShirtDay! We all make mistakes. But bullying isn’t okay, no matter who you are or in what form. That includes bullying the bully. So, let’s be the better people. If someone is a bully, call them out on it, but don’t gang up on them and become a bully yourself, otherwise you are no better than that person.

71. We all make mistakes?! Tell that to Niçoise’s parents, who put their life saving into sending her to Cleveland State from Trinidad for a better life. So that she would not have to be working the streets selling Chiclets and giving “pleasure massages” in an old phone booth.
    So Kelly Blazek’s empty words, meaningless and lack luster contrition will not bring back Niçoise. She has blood on her hands and given here disdain for law enforcement, i think an investigation is in order. She might be brought up on charges. Yes CHARGES!

72. I know for sure 2 things:
    1) Kelly Blazek hates the troops (as well as cops and firefighters)
    2) I am better than AJ Randall AND his pink shirt

73. An amusing sobriquet I first saw used recently would seem to fit this lady: twat waffle.

74. I do not get this. What is so special about the Job Bank. Why pay this lady when someone like myself volunteers my time (AND LOVES DOING IT BY THE WAY) doing some of the same things she does (resume writing, networking)?

    I would be more than happy to assist Diana Mekota in any way that I can. Look me up on LinkedIn.

75. I was a boxer in the Marines and I will fight you, AJ Randall. I will box your face in the Safeway parking lot no problem. Or make it Fazio’s I don’t care as long as it’s a grocery store. I usually get a box of Slim Jim’s following a beat down.

76. Her cell phone number is on her Gemba Communications website

77. I love how she throws around numbers like Gob Bluth in his FOUR THOUSAND DOLLAR suit. She needs to be c-punted.

78. Everyone, please send this kind woman a request on LinkedIn…

79. My God… Reading about the poor foreign girls suicide from cat fingerhut made me think about the time Kelly Blazek raped my cat! What a horrible person!

80. Bitches Be Crazy. Sad and kinda creepy. She’d boil a rabbit. Dang!

81. My wife is no longer working…she is a retired free-lancer and this bitch refuses to let her unsubscribe from her goddam newsletter, despite repeated requests. What the flood? Who the hell does this c-word think she is?

    If she DARED to treat my intelligent and hard-working wife that way, I’d track her ass down and she’d find herself lying in a hospital bed with broken fingers and missing a few teeth. Forget taking her down a few pegs…she needs to be taken down to the pavement and boot-stomped. Hey, Kelly! You’re yuppie scum…watch your back. Plenty of jobless people are available for hire…and would gladly mess you up for a bag of dope.

    Chuckles the Clown

82. Robin Eads wins the internet today.

83. I was going to move back to Cleveland from Chicago this summer. But after seeing that is the state of the job market in Cleveland, I’ll stay put working at a big bad bank, catering to the 1%. They are much better than dealing with Kelly Blazek’s stinky vag.

84. Hey, Gaetan. Clevelander here in Chicago as well. The thought of moving back crosses my mind frequently. But I left Cleveland because there was no work when I got out of school in 08. I somehow subscribed to Blazek’s job bank. Not one job listing there ever panned out (few of them entry level).

    Moved to Chicago with no job, got one after two months. Been working for 3 years to get solid experience to maybe bring back to the Cleve. Doesn’t sound so appealing now.

    I’ll buy you a Daisy Cutter if I run into you.

85. I’m a recent arrival in this fair city of Cleveland. I’ve lived all over the country and I’m enjoying my experience in this beautiful area. (OT- but does spring EVER arrive?) I’ve followed this topic most of the day, as it has flooded my twitter feed. If you will indulge an outsider a few minutes of your time on this issue…..as I have no real dog in this fight and as I’ve stated I’m still and outsider. I’ve read the OP’s(Mekota’s) letter and initial reply. As a young professional, fresh out of college, we believe the world as our oyster. We believe our hard working, honest image gained throughout our scholar years will carry through our first graces in the professional world. This is NOT how it is for us. This is an extremely difficult work environment to enter into. We can’t just expect a friend of a friend to work connections like it worked for our parents and older siblings. We’ve got to beat the streets, try again and again to obtain contacts and learn to become immune to doors that close. We are entry level, fighting for a position with skilled older generation workers who have also found themselves out of work. They also have the skills and work experience we lack. Is it fair, no. Have I had my share of “mean” replies. Absolutely. I shed them like water off a ducks back. This is the real world and a very competitive arena. I have to be at the top of my game. I have to keep trying. I have to be better. I am not going to go crying to social media because a Higher Experienced and Connected friend of a friend wasn’t playing nice with me. I don’t want that anywhere near my name. I do not want to be known for the drama I create, but for the work I can do. For the education I slaved years for. I want to stand out as professional in my actions. Was Blazek’s reply harsh? Yes. A bit overly, but come on folks… were we NOT trained for this? We knew every door was not going to be open and easy for us to enter. It shouldn’t be. We have to EARN it. Blazek’s site (from what I could still find before shut down) CLEARLY states the rules as to how to gain approval and access. I believe in one of the numerous articles I read (the initial first email was fully posted on Cleveland Scene) Blazek was reported to say in that “scathing” reply, “your Yahoo Group request was denied because you didn’t provide any information when you requested membership – or failed to respond to a request for more information that indicates your background is a match for the jobs I share.” Personally, because I can only speak for myself, I would take that as bad on me. I did not follow the rules, nor did I properly follow up the proper channels of information and just emailed the CEO of the company I wish to gain employment from because she is a friend of a friend. All employment opportunities have rules we have to follow to apply. This should be old hat since we had to follow the same rules to apply for college. IF I understand the situation correctly, Blazek does not use her LinkedIn like most of us do, her LinkedIn IS working in correlation with her job assistance website. Personally, if you can’t follow the rules to begin with, I wouldn’t want to recommend you either. I find it odd that so many are calling Blazek out for being harsh in her reply, yet so many have replied 100 times harsher than she ever did. Many have stated, “Do unto Others” and then in the next breath proceed to call her a “(C)See You Next Tuesday”. Doesn’t anyone else smell the overwhelming stench of hypocrisy here? Blazek was tasked with providing a productive and employable workforce, collecting a database of exceptional professionals. I think her denial of Mekota was dead on. After three emails, albeit scathing in quality, each ending in “Do Not Contact Me Again”, three emails Mekota did not get the hint and then acted in a very unprofessional manner and used social media to attack the person/ website that gave her a NO because she (Mekota) did not follow the rules. It seems like an HR nightmare of an employee. I believe Mekota’s actions are going to make it harder for us entry levels to get in the door. We will be seen as loose cannons that can’t hack the harshness of the “Real Business World” and will run to social media the moment we aren’t given a pat on the head and a cookie, even when we don’t follow the proper procedures. This world and the great jobs just aren’t going to be handed to use because we cried “Someone was mean to me!” on Twitter. We will get those jobs by proving that we are worth it. That we do possess the skills and integrity to be a much needed and valuable career professional. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to loose my potential job to someone who cried “unfair!” and became a social media hit. I’d rather loose my potential slot to someone who followed the rules and was professionally better than me. At least then, I would know what I need to change and strive harder to achieve. At least then I would know I was on the same playing field. Just my two cents from an outsider bumping it out in the real world. I’ll take my lumps and ups and downs. I WILL earn my way. Rock on Cleveland!!

86. Douchbag

87. How did she ever become “Communicator of the Year”??? What an embarrassment!

88. Newtocleveland…please don’t tell me you’re in the journalism field.

    Seriously…do you really expect anyone to wade through all that verbiage?

    Never cut J-school on the day your instructors are lecturing about paragraphing.

    I’m just now realizing that your well-written (but excessively wordy) diatribe is a defense of this harpy, which is your absolute right to do…but how the hell do you really expect anyone to even read it, let alone digest it?

    As a writer, editor, and proofreader…what you’ve just done makes me cringe. Cut it by 75% and break it down into readable paragraphs…or don’t f’king bother next time. No matter which side you’re on.

    Chuckles the Clown

89. New to Cleveland, I will punch you in your gunt. I hope you get a dominos surprise this weekend.

90. It’s a first attempt as a novella actually…. roughly written because I am not a Journalism Major, clearly.

    As an educated and advanced professional, shouldn’t your language be more positive and flowery? After all, you don’t wish to be like the “ Harpy” correct?

    Haven’t you just reacted to my post in the same deplorable manner?

    Shouldn’t you be kinder to young entry level job seekers who wish to reach out?

    I appreciate your kind editorial reply and I will work to achieve your approval. I apologize for my offensive opinion of how I view this current event, how I believe it effects me and my lack of proper paragraphing. I really should learn not to speak out and enjoy the freedoms that others do. (Even the freedoms of bad comment paragraphing. How dare I? I know better! Next time I should just write an elicit degrading remark and call it my good deed for the day. Follow the crowd.)

    All of the above clearly called the need for me to be cursed at and spoken to so abruptly. Thank you for your honest opinion and criticism. You make the world a better place. I will try to learn from you and glean a higher lever of proper standards. Peace, Love and Great Cleveland Eats! You are the reason Cleveland is such an amazing city!! (I hope this post is more clearly read and to your liking, I try to be a quick study.)

    Roy Q – Thank You, that was very sweet as well! You also are the reason Cleveland is such friendly place to live!

91. If you can’t take the heat, don’t hang out in the kitchen. Thanks for sharing.

    I, too, went through tough economic times in the Seventies…and again in the Eighties. They have affected the rest of my life. But it was nothing at all like the pure unadulterated hell that job-seeking newbies have to endure today.

    And I wasn’t in Cleveland then. I was in a much bigger city, with more opportunities, but also a lot more competition, because there were what seemed like millions out of work in my town. So I worked at dead-end jobs for peanuts…and learned to like peanut butter.

    To be young, trying to break into a market as bad as Cleveland’s, and having to endure hardship and rejection in one of the worst winters in decades…I don’t envy you your youth. I wouldn’t want to be in your snow boots right now. I am almost glad my best days are behind me.

    Best of luck. You will need it.

    Chuckles the Clown

92. She has a history of being dismissive, rude and demeaning to young professionals, especially women. I’ve experienced it myself and have witnessed her project her insecurities onto other young women. It’s actually sad. It’s apparent she’s struggling with something internally and has been for years.

93. Being crazy is no excuse for lashing out the way she did. Over and over and over again.

    Burn, witch, burn.

    When the snow melts, there will be plenty of empty boxes outside the nearest China-Mart. Time for Kelly to start filling them and heading for New York, where her assholism will serve her well.

    You’re melting…you’re melting…who woulda thought that a little girl could destroy your ugly wickedness? Bye-bye, bitch!

    Chuckles the Clown

94. Wipe her off of the internet !! The denial message could be written in somewhat understandable language the responder couldn’t get a harsh moment and would accept the situation .. Really shame on ya, Kelly !! You’re like a stubborn kid won’t share the toys with others !

95. Kelly is showing her age. She’s trying to be a gate keeper…an old-school way of thinking. Did she really think that one of her holier-than-thou letters wouldn’t go public? She’s the Don Henley of Cleveland (but not as handsome).

96. Wow, you’d think she would at least have a pleasing personality since looks aren’t on her side….poor soul, she has no redeeming qualities! She’s obviously a psychopath.

97. I hope the companies that use her services will think twice before hiring her again. All credibility of being a good communicator is lost. This type of professional arrogance hurts people, she hurt people.

98. I too am a victim of Kelly’s rude commentary. I was also a new professional to the Cleveland area, and looking for a communications position. With a double Master’s degree, and a couple years experience, I added to meerly be added to the list serv. Kelly wrote me a scathing email back denying me both entry to the list serv and bashed me based on the picture on my linkedin (which was not unprofessional). I am glad that karma is finally finding Kelly, and I hope that more victims of this woman’s cruel demeanor continue to come forward.

99. Thanks, Scene, for helping to expose this “job board mother”. I’m hearing the word “mother” in a whole different context now. The arrogant B shouldn’t be running a job board if she can’t handle the fact that not everybody writing in is going to do everything perfectly and figure out a way to respond to them politely but firmly. A very short form letter reiterating the instructions for the website would have done the job AND taken up a lot less of Kelly’s time than composing individualized scathing responses.

100. Actually, I see her point. The younger generation does have a sense of entitlement and a need for instant gratification that is unique to their upbringing. She has probably spent years putting together this elite network of contacts who can serve as a talent information pool. That being said, she could have used a lot more tact in how she responded. She must have had so many of these requests that she just got tired of being nice. Perhaps this exposure will provide the humility needed to prepare a more appropriate response to these requests. However, I still don’t think they deserve Carte Blanche access to the network she has created.

101. Doesn’t anyone know the true slogan for Linkedin? She is obviously an ignoramous.

     “LinkedIn: Connect with people for no fucking reason at all”

102. Someone needs to get this woman laid!

103. This is what she wrote in her “Patch” blog:

     Behave every day like it’s going to show up in the newspaper. Admittedly, every senior professional recalls their own memorable list of screw ups, bad ideas, poor judgment and red-faced moments. And my, how the internet and e-mail can exponentially blast your mess-up across continents, industries and chat rooms. A bad day (or two) will happen at work – guaranteed. Learn from it, apologize quickly, clean up your mess, make sure your co-workers know it was a teachable moment and that it won’t happen again. It’s a rather high likelihood that no medical attention was required, although I’ve seen a fire department visit along with the evacuation of several floors because an intern shoved several overly-large bagels in a toaster and walked away in oblivion as they caught on fire. Mistakes happen, and we are not perfect. But trust me: lying, antics, thoughtlessness, creating distractions, crudeness or disregard of who’s the boss (have no doubt, the customer is always the boss) and you’ll be out on the street in no time flat.

     http://fairlawn-bath.patch.com/groups/kelly-blazeks-blog/p/bp–first-job-advice-for-new-college-grads-11-success-secrets

104. As a #youngprofessional with frankly a great job which I got through networking (face to face not over the computer), I am sick and tired of apologizing to baby boomers about my age and my (comparative) lack of experience. You are right, I was not born in the mid-50s so I do not have 20+ years of experience in my field, but I have boundless energy and I am coming for your job. I can do it faster and better. #sorryimnotsorry! #Babyboomers won’t be complaining when #millenials are supporting their lavish #socialsecurity and #retirements—a luxury that I sure as hell am not counting on.

105. IABC may want to take back its “IABC Communicator of the Year” award! What she has not considered (amongst many things) was where the person asking for help was going to be in 5-10 years. Phenomenal employee for her? Paying client??

106. Kelly – I mean, Joe Smith, takes herself way too seriously.

107. You *really* didn’t think you were going to get away with being such an egomaniacal, pompous bitch without me knowing, did you?? Silly wabbit…

     Regards,
     Karma

108. Okay, Gringa…so it’s NOT all about rudeness and arrogance and a lack of tact and/or professionalism, is it? It’s all about generational resentment, envy and dislike, right? You hate the fking Boomers, eh? Guess what, you POS…it works both ways. A lot of us Boomers hate you brats right back. So you’re having a tough time? Who isn’t? STFU and just deal with it.

     I don’t want to hear threats about taking jobs away from us, or about how tough you have it. Read a history book. Do some homework. A lot of us had it pretty rough during the watches of Nixon and Reagan. Some of us have never recovered.

     Boomer does not mean “rich yuppie about to retire.” It just means someone who was born between ’46 and ’64. We are far from being all alike…that is, rich and successful. Get your head out of your orifice.

     Thanks but no thanks…I don’t want any more of your whine and jeeze. STFU and go text somebody, or talk to one of your cohorts on one of your ubiquitous electronic gizmos. Do any chicks your age ever NOT walk around with a smartphone in their hand, 24/7?

     And thanks for nothing…like for gentrifying Cleveland and pricing the geezers out of everything with your craft beer bars and your bistros and your pricey restaurants and your downtown digs and your cardboard condos.

     You think you’re saving Cleveland? You’re destroying Cleveland in order to save it.

     Have a shitty day.

     Chuckles the Clown.

109. She did the exact same thing to me when I moved back to cleveland after living in manhattan. She is truly unprofessional and a poor representative of cleveland. How embarrassing. She should be fired immediately.

110. in talking to friends in the news biz in other markets apparently all the cable news channels have been trying to track her down. She’s being called the “Nancy Grace of PR”

     Bahawww!

111. This will go on national TV? WTF? Sertiously?

     Is that a good thing…or a bad? I would tend to say the latter. It might not only dissuade young people from wanting to live and work here, because it gives a terrible impression of Clevelanders and the Cleveland business community, but it might even keep somewhat older professionals from relocating here or doing business here.

     And I’ve even seen other posters, on other sites, wondering if this could keep a political convention from coming here. Who knows what they base their selections on?

     It’s not only about putting Ohio in the win column in 2016…no national politicos want to have to bother with snarky locals. They’ll just avoid this town and possible problems…and go somewhere else. Little things can become big things in a surprisingly short time. Like potholes…and one arrogant professional. One witch can conceivably destroy what wizards took years to create. Emerald City, anyone?

     Not just another black eye for Cleveland…but the possible loss of millions in revenue and thousands of potential jobs? Thanks a lot, Kelly!

     Chuckles the Clown

112. If it gets on cable news and cable gossip channels, it’s another black eye for Cleveland…and that will keep young people and other business professionals away. Why would they want to deal with petty, snarky, vindictive locals? Some welcome mat!

     Little cracks eventually can become car-wrecking potholes. A story like this, on a national level, could not come at a worse time…the time when Cleveland is vying for a national political convention for the first time in 80 years. Rather than possibly having to deal with snarky locals, the powers-that-be might just decide to look elsewhere.

     Something breaks…a wheel falls off…an entire train is wrecked. Kelly could do more damage than she ever thought possible…like diverting jobs and millions in revenue away from a city that desperately needs both. Thanks, lady…

     Chuckles the Clown

113. It’s on CNN right now!!! “The lead in was, and this in from Cl-eeeev-land, it seems a terse Public Relations Executive….”
     SO it all come crashing down. There is talk of moving the Rock Hall out of here to Boston too.
     I need a powerful sedative.

114. Being in the HR profession, or I guess being in any profession – there is a way to treat someone. Not everyone I meet is a perfect fit for what we’re looking for but there is never an need to treat someone the way those e-mails read. There is a big difference between educating someone (i.e. you may want to work on your introduction to sound more…) versus the way that those individuals were talked to. At the end of the day we are all just people trying to get through life, why not treat each other the right way?

115. WHAT a pompous.. self-serving HAG!!
     Number ONE, a LinkedIn connection is NOT the equivalent of a personal recommendation… a “personal recommendation” is equivalent to a “personal recommendation”..
     “A total stranger who has nothing to offer me.” WTF!!!
     YOU are supposed to help people find jobs… NOT demand or require some sort of personal elevation/ bonus/ compensation or restitution from the unfortunately unemployed!
     “Sense of entitlement!!???” Now WHO’S the pot calling the kettle black!!!
     “I enjoy denying your invite”… WOW..Just WOW!!
     What a Sadistic Bitch… everyone SO hopes she totally loses her position of “power” and swiftly finds herself at the bottom of the barrel..hopefullly homeless too.. she deserves it.. Hasnt she ever heard of the “Golden rule” or Karma?

     “Kelly Blazek | Principal”

     “Gemba Communications, LLC”

     “2013 IABC Communicator of the Year”

     AND parading these “credentials” at the end of such a nasty response clearly demonstrates the egotistical “Holier than Thou” narcissistic disorder this cow clearly suffers from..

     “2013 IABC Communicator of the Year”..Pffft!! Who did she blow to get that title?
     Because it is blatant it certainly wasnt from “oral” skills we would usually think of.”

116. @Sgt. Roy Batty, U.S.A.H. (RET) That is HEARTBREAKING. Not that Ms. Blazek would care but she should have been emailed a copy of that letter. Ms. Blazek clearly has some very deep seated issues that she has been taking out on unsuspecting individuals for years. It appears the Karma train is running through Cleveland.

117. Clearly she has cracked or snapped or done whatever people do at the end of their career. If she’s the only resource in the village, it’s time to burn down the village.

118. I think what Kelly Blazek did was unkind and unprofessional and I said so above. But the threats to harm her, allegations that she was involved in a young woman’s suicide and directions to her cell phone number are WAY OVER THE TOP. Each and every one of you who wrote such things have done the EXACT SAME THING you complain of — overreacting and being unnecessarily cruel.

119. I happen to think she is “spot on” .

120. MADeline:
     Have you ever seen historic photos of Mussolini hanging from a lamppost after the people got tired of his years of fantastic bluster? He to had a Job Bank on Yahoo! and also sent off nasty grams to dozens of people. Given that I think Blazek has gotten off easy. Keep in mind she still might be brought up on charges.

121. Actually, Madeleine – there is a very big difference between us and Kelly Blazek …for one, I have a 13 inch long schlong, so I cant possibly be the same type of cunt that she is because that would be in anatomically impossible; moreover, I differ from Kelly in that I don’t tout my own s**t as “communications expertise” and scorn people under the auspices of trying to help them. I just come here to take them down. So there is that…

122. Interesting parallels to Mussolini…maybe we should just have a witch burning in Public Square and then we could move on. Maybe call it Brite Winter Fest?

     You have to really wonder why this has struck a nerve and generated so much outrage and anger. Is it because it’s February and March and people have acute cabin fever and are pissed off and frustrated and fed up with winter? But that happens EVERY year, on almost every internet forum…people really get MEAN in late winter and early spring…I’ve seen that happen for 15 years now.

     It isn’t just because this is an exceptionally harsh winter…no, the harsh reaction is caused by something else…something bigger. Something even bigger than corporate behavior and the breakdown of civility in the business world.

     It’s this:

     In Chicago, LA, NY, SF…this would not be a big story, or even a story at all. But this is Cleveland. People are generally nicer here. They’ll say hello to you on the sidewalk in front of your house. That doesn’t happen in the aforementioned places (Trust me. I lived most of my life there).

     So when someone in Cleveland is this pretentious, uppity, and nasty, it’s a BFD, and it doesn’t fly, and a lot of nice people are pretty pissed about it.

     It may also be for other reasons beyond their control…like the insane job situation and the insane weather, but when somebody is this NOT nice, and is THIS arrogant…the shit hits the proverbial fan. And now that we have social media, the whole room gets painted brown in the blink of an eye.

     So maybe this doesn’t prove that people in Cleveland are mean bastards…maybe it proves just the opposite. Burn, witch, burn.

     Chuckles the Clown

123. Linked In is garbage, period. Behaving like it’s your own little Country Club is pretty ridiculous.

     I’ve worked for several Fortune 500 companies and I’ve been unemployed a couple of times, and in neither case did Linked In help me either way. It’s a nuisance, and home to many a snob like her.

124. Horrible woman. She’s a mother? Poor kids.

125. Another exhausting response. Thanks Kelly I mean “Joe Smith” lol.

126. You know f^ck her, completely. Her apologies are hollow and meaningless in reading her missives, 1) not one thing anyone asked her was unreasonable, in fact some complimented the Job Bank and 2) it’s clear when she was called her out on here non-professionalism rather than pause ans take stock she persist with insults. NEVER giving a second thought to her divisive tone instead just barreling forward with even more bile; this from a person who is an apparent expert in communication? This sort of shit was de rigor for her for years. Finally looking at her web site for Gemba Communications she boast great skills in “change management” (read: mass firings) and the corporate whitewashing of closing dozens of manufacturing plants. In other words she is the creator of media hogwash that allows morally bankrupt CEO’s to make off with millions by firing the thousands that actually do the work. Her site is chock full of a misinterpretation of Six Sigma mumbo jumbo making clear any lessons in Japanese Management Theory were utterly lost on her. It reminds me of Otto in A Fish Called Wanda who believes the central tenant of Buddhism is every man for himself; not getting it to a comic level of stupidity. Suddenly when her career is in public free fall she is full of pseudo contrition. Really? Fuck off.

127. So add the working factory man to the list of people she hates which thus far is military, police, fire fighters, EMS, young people, job seekers, people from Trinidad and salad.
     She makes me SICK.

128. Roy Q wins ‘Best Communications Professional’ on this Cleveland Scene Board with the posts above. Kelly Blazek and the Scene Editors owe Roy Q a handjob.

129. Hamwallet: Chuckles should at least get a grabby lap dance for a distant second…

130. what a monstrous bitch.

131. While her response was very rude and condescending, in some ways I don’t get why people are surprised. Most CEOs I’ve dealt with are arrogant, have a God complex, and forgot that at some point someone helped them along their career path. Hell, even some lower-level managers I know talk to their people worse than what this lady wrote.

132. Even if these job seekers were misusing Linkedin, they did not deserve the arrogant, pretentious and overtly unprofessional responses they received. I wish these job seekers all the best in their future endeavors and hope that they will not insult or berate those who might seek their professional assistance in the future.

133. “carefully crafted apology”…only because she was exposed. Sounds like this miserable bitch is on an ego/power trip.

134. Jimbo- She was not even a CEO by any stretch. She’s a mid-level PR flack. You know the people who come in and say: “In order to maximize value and succeed in reaching our core audience we will be paving a transparent path forward with the following change management strategy that both identifies corporate pain points and creates a number of action items designed to dynamically transform the company to be a more customer-focused organization.”
     instead of “all you fuckers are fired.”?
     She was the one who cobbled together the first part, most of us that actually work for a living know this type person as a bullshit artist.

135. There is no valid reason to tactlessly respond to a respectful request and sadly, her response is reflective of her professionalism. Despite falling into the crowd of 20-somethings that she seems to abhor, I do understand her message; it makes sense. But for someone in communications to respond in such a disrespectful manner? Yikes. She made a choice, and unfortunately, she chose poorly.

     The days are changing and a recruiter’s function is no longer the same as it once was – in this day and age, you will expect having strangers try to add you on LinkedIn or connect in some way. Technology makes this simple. While I wouldn’t have the fortitude to add a Senior Executive, I realize to not take advantage of what technology offers is detrimental – what you’re too afraid to take chances on, someone else will.

     I definitely feel she is out-of-touch with social media/technology. Or else…she would have known better than to expose her true self on it!

136. Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) needs to send her Linked In connection requests; make her business unworkable. I wouldn’t normally say that the public should interfere with the functioning of a business, but this lady has such contempt for anyone she doesn’t see as being of her stature that she shouldn’t be running a Dairy Queen, much less a job bank.

137. Someone needs an old fashioned attitude adjustment from their mother.

138. Revising a quote from the Casablanca movie, I am shocked – SHOCKED! – to find that the ongoing rudeness, arrogance and unprofessionalism from Kelly Blazek has only recently come to light here. Kelly, your communications career is kaput, that much is clear. So, do the right thing and voluntarily give up your IABC Cleveland Communicator of the Year award – you don’t deserve it and you never did, based on how you’ve been “communicating” in the past few years. Thanks to the Internet, now the whole world knows how you really feel about jobseekers. The Internet truly levels the playing field, or scorches the field, in your case.

139. what’s funny is this, Googling her name will eternally be connected to this story. The Cyber Age got you Kelly, forever bytes and bit the in the face…

140. I’ll bet she doesn’t have 960 top tier contacts any longer….

141. Wow, if this is how she treats a total stranger, imagine the way she must treat her family. Must be hell on earth! Yikes!

142. Funny thing – I actually slept with Kelly way back in undergrad days. You all think she spews venom out of her mouth, well you don’t even want to know what comes out of her snatch. I took the initiative to go downstairs on her first, looking forward to a bit of rusty trombone in return. 22 seconds scarred my tongue and throat so badly I’m still using an electro larynx to speak. Thank god for the Internet for ruining this bitch and letting me speak without little kids and South Park making fun of me.

143. Oh wow… I wonder where Kelly goes to find her new job! :-)))

144. Burn on, Cleveland witch, burn on…

     Chuckles the Clown

145. It’s amazing how some would agree with this arrogant witch. She has a job bank for a hobby!!! I’ve never met anyone in marketing who is NOT arrogant. Good for the people who exposed her.

146. I’m based out of NYC and I’m appalled to have read the e-mails she wrote to job seekers. For the record, I don’t think for a second she represents your city or the professional core, this bitch needs a reality check!

147. To all those on the receiving end of foolish rants by Ms. Blazek and her ilk, let me recommend the following sample reply to future unprofessional recruitment/HR/so-called ‘Job Bank’ Keymaster jerks. Trust me. You’ll feel better for it:

     Dear Mr./Ms. —— (insert jerk’s/bi!ch’s name here):

     Your response is appreciated despite its condescending tone and arrogance. May I remind you that my generation, as inexperienced and presumptuous as you suggest, is guaranteed to become the future gatekeepers, doctors, judges, managers, owners, movers, shakers and stewards of this country. One way or another. With or without you. It’s every bit as inevitable as the air you breathe. You would do well to keep that axiom in mind in preparation for the eventual encounter with Karma somewhere along your journey to irrelevance and obscurity. Have a wonderful day now.

148. She is very full of herself and has forgotten why she exists as a business

149. Ms. Mekota is going to have a good time finding a job. Not saying what the lady did was right, but blowing the whistle will make employers a little hesitant in hiring you.

150. Well since this gig is over, I wanna suggest a title for her new biography…”How LinkedIn got me LockedOUT-THe Kelly Blazek Story”. Shameful attitude! I wonder how she treats her poor children with that kind of heart.

151. LinkedIn connections are not necessarily vouching for a person. LinkedIn has a recommendation feature for that. The basic connection is just business social networking.

     Even so the response was WAY unprofessional especially since the request Email was so polite.

     Sad….

152. These are supposed to be *professional* communicators nd yet Ms. Blazek seems like a bitter, caustic, abusive person far more entitled than anyone who had sought out her help in good faith. What a miserable woman to have in one’s life in any form, personally or professionally. And then reward her for her “efforts” at self-promotion at the expense of those she walks on is astoundingly ironic.

153. If she’s not willing to receive requests then she shouldn’t be posting on a public forum. The girl actually made it a point to ask the best way to make a request instead of directly asking for referrals, and so was making an offer. A professional would have seen an opportunity to ask what the requester had to offer or to educate.

154. don’t believe the Joe Smith is aka Kelly Blazek- punctuation was too good.

155. An arrogant windbag….anyone who would have such a ridiculous “accolade” like ‘2013 IABC Communicator of the Year’ on correspondence is a complete fool.

156. I got a similar email from her several years ago when i graduated from college with an advertising/marketing degree and asked her for some professional advice. Very rude and nasty person.

157. One word- BITCH!

158. It is a shame I can not find her email ~I wanted to personally email her and thank her for her honesty with the young job seekers. Her HONEST email to them should not be viewed as to harsh but as guidance for how this generation should act in the future. My co-workers and I are discussing the need for more people like her that are willing to stand up to the entitled generation that have been led to believe they are automatically entitled to the same respect of those in senior leadership positions. I write this because after almost 20 years serving in the United States Navy, I am often disgusted with the sense of entitlement that our younger generation displays and although in the military we have less self-absorbed personnel then the civilian sector we still combat this daily. The difference is that I also see the AMAZING tenacity of the younger troops serving and keeping us safe so in reality it balances my view and keeps me from being cynical.
     With that being said:

     Hard WORK and DEDICATION should be respected and emulated! Just graduating college IS NOT an accomplishment that should be equal to years of service to a company or career. How about trying to respect her and possibly seek her as a mentor..not demand her contact list…..She has obviously dedicated her life to a career that she is successful at and therefor she SHOULD be afforded that respect.

159. Those letters are…long. One of them is 7 paragraphs! She obviously sinks A LOT of time, thought and emotional energy into these letters. Aside from just being downright nasty…what a complete and utter waste of time. Doesn’t she have work to do?

160. DMS- Obviously you are new to the story. I too have a long career in the service USMC- FORECON (0358). In short I asked her for admission to the job board and this is only PART of what she responded with:
     “military rats as a rule were barely able to follow simple commands, let alone navigate the complex and arduous rigors of corporate brinksmanship.” she went on to suggest I seek a job “parking cars”.
     So you might want to reconsider where your docking your ship on this one, sir.
     Semper Fi and Fly Navy

161. I think everyone should hit her up on LinkedIn, FB, Twitter, etc.!!! That will give her something to do!

162. DMS- Also no one ever made any “demands” that have come to light, they simply and politely asked for her assistance which she advertised via a job board that she would offer, and when they asked they got nothing but major ‘tude.
     You’ve been there, you know what that’s like. it sucks to use the technical terminology.

163. You don’t build yourself up by knocking others down.

164. it’s like my gran pappy used to say: if you put the old barn owl next to the corn squeezins at night you can expect to have the rake with a wig on it fuckin you in the ass by the light of day.

165. If the younger generation feels entitled, I’ll gladly take that over a pompous, hateful old lady.

166. Her apology is a farce, only reason she did so was for the very public & well deserved backlash. Anyone who knows her would do well to treat her as persona non grata. As for the “Communicator of the Year” award she has, the IABC should DEMAND it back.

     Someone is such a reportedly high position of authority should certainly know better in this day & age of social media.

167. KARMA IS A B*TCH

168. I had a boss once with that same attitude of only helping those who could help further HER and she privately used to slam one similar professional organisation as useless since all it contained were jobseekers. She was far more polite than Ms. Blazek, but with a similarly condescending attitude. My career completely stalled out under her.
     I have to admit I’d almost rather the rude one since you know right away where you stand – it doesn’t take a year and a half to figure out, wondering in the meantime if you’re just being paranoid.

     I’m glad I’m not in that industry anymore. Being two-faced like Ms. Blazek seems to have been on occasion – public happy face and private nastiness is endemic to many branches of PR anyway, as an above post pointed out. It’s a shame because she did have some intelligent (though dated) advice and now I think the bullying has gone too far the other way – I’m a believer in punishment being proportionate to the offence. I DO hope however, that at the very least it can be a reminder to be polite and respectful when you’re in a position of power, rather than abusing it. To me it’s just a sign of insecurity but a younger person probably takes that sort of thing seriously.
     It’s one thing when people vent sometimes, another kick people when they’re down.

169. @Diana M – I can’t believe a girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness! I’m melting, melting, meeeelting

170. Kelly Blazek is not a “senior practioner.” She is a world-class c*nt. She is exactly what is wrong with HR and those who choose that as a profession. I feel sorry for anyone who has to deal with her.

171. In a word: Despicable. Ms. Blazek is obviously a “1% wannabe” who is using her self-proclaimed “hobby” and “fame” to advance her own career goals at the expense of those who contacted her for help. The responses in her emails begs the question: are all the applicants she disapproved of now blackballed from seeking employment with the companies she appears to represent {as some sort of half-baked recruiter}? Perhaps the Ohio Civil Rights Commission should investigate whether or not any wrong doing has taken place. Also, what forms of compensation have been received by Ms. Blazek during her self-described passion for altruistic job placement? Does anyone really believe she does all this out of the “kindness” of her heart? No I think we witnessed first hand the true character behind the benign mask of Ms. Blazek. What part of her email responses falls under the category
     of bullying? Accordingly, Ms. Blazek must be stripped of her 2013 Communicator of the Year Award and release the names and email addresses of all contacts she has harvested during this pursuit of self aggrandizement. Ms. Blazek has bragged about having 7,300 email addresses {of who is still unknown}. Let me say as a social activist I have many many more {but that includes worldwide email addresses as well}. Finally I have not had to use a resume for a job application in the last 18 years because I read the book “What Color is Your Parachute?” and built my own “who-you-know network”. It’s really not that difficult. Furthermore I’ll give a referral to anyone who asks and certainly not expect anything in return. Ms. Blazek, if you really want to help people {find a job} it has to start without expecting any more than a sincere thank you. In the best sense of the cliché charity does in fact provide it’s own rewards. I suggest you start with the people you rejected as a penance for the sins you have committed. Perhaps if you
     begin your “comeback” by helping them the community may be more apt to accept your apology and forgive you as well. Therein lie the lesson. Now get busy.

172. in addition to everything said here you should see what she does to a bathroom. For a rake of a woman she can squeeze out some MASSIVE turds. But the Puerto Rican fog bank she produces is without equal. A pungent stench so rank that a single whiff could put an asthma patient in to the Cleveland Clinic for 5 days and drop a 200 lbs. man immediately.

173. Regardless about how she really felt (don’t hold back now) her example of skilled professional communications really inflames confidence and admiration. Communicator of the year, my left foot.

174. Fired as 2013 Communicator of the Year

175. She needs to take a Prozak and join the rest of the people in Cleveland who are trying so hard to bring our kids back from Chicago. If she is so popular in Cleveland around the “jobs” are.. (never heard of her)
     someone needs to reevaluate her position. Nasty.. Our kids flew out of Cleveland after college and most of them landed in Chicago. I love Chicago but once these kids get married they flock to the suburbs there. Chicago suburbs are no different then Cleveland . As a single these kids want the excitement of a downtown area. Cleveland is getting there and I for one want these kids back in their home town

176. I’m not sure why she has a stick up her ass when it comes to 20-somethings and young professionals, but maybe she should deal with that. I’ll look forward to the day when one of these young professionals she likes to belittle and bully puts her out of a job.

177. I will never cease to be amazed at how those who post things on or through the WORLD WIDE WEB are shocked when things come back to haunt them! Did Ms. Blazek actually think that the entire planet was not going to find out about her ridiculous unprofessional rants? If there is a lesson in all of this, it is to really think before hitting “send”.

178. @KL. Remember that she’d done it 2 times beforehand (that have also been posted here), she got away with it then. She also got away with it those times when former military personnel got to her Job bank site (which have not been posted, luckily for her). Who knows how many times she got away with it then; needless to say she was playing the odds & up to that point when she did her “back & forth” with Ms Makota said odds were in her favor of someone NOT posting what she wrote.

179. she’s a scat muncher… she munches SCAT!

180. Gee, I have about half that many connections on linkedin and have done exactly nothing to earn them except accept them when asked. If I spent a few minutes I could have 1000. Probably I’d not be a dick about it.

181. Ouch. Sometimes the ‘net is good for teaching “do badders” a lesson. Mentoring is alive, but apparently not in Cleveland . . .

182. For the senior exec´s who actually agree with Kelly´s response; try to think about what your legacy will be and realize that today’s young novice is tomorrow’s team leader and future CEO, CIO etc.

     In the long run both company and exec´s will benefit more from identifying the mistake made, create an environment where they would help the young novice understand the mistake and coach them to own and correct their mistakes in a controlled environment, thus building a relationship and demonstrate leadership based on trust, loyalty and synergy where the young novice can grow and aspire into a confident, strong and experienced asset to the company and its exec´s, whether or not he/she ever makes it to be CEO or not.
     You where provided an opportunity under someones wings before you became who you are today.

     Exec´s ask yourselfs; Do you want to be remembered for the dinosaur leadership style of punishment and egotistical self worship or are you the mastermind that shaped the corporation to a brighter future where your successors can build on the foundation you created, to take the corporation on to the next level?

     Try this exercise every morning:
     Take your org chart, turn it upside down and remember who you work for.

183. Gemba Communications, LLC

     “2013 IABC Communicator of the Year.”

     But that was then, this is now.

184. I’ve been desperately looking for work since 11/2013…..if I received a response like the one she wrote, I would be so very, very discouraged, to the point of tears. It’s been hard enough to find work around here – the daily rejection emails, phone calls and snarky interviewers are certainly enough to bring one to tears. But this…..this is unacceptable behavior for someone in her position. How awful to be treated like this. She should be so very ashamed.

185. I know someone just like Kelly Blazek, as I recently had a similar encounter with a woman just like her. Some people go on this huge power trip when someone wants something from them. It simply isn’t warranted. They need to pull their heads out of their butts and drop the little power trip. Ms. Blazek’s generation thought they could verbally abuse job seekers. I know because I did job hunting 25 years ago and the verbal abuse was part of it all. This is a different generation and we need to show respect for all – no matter how old or young they are. And especially if they are seeing a job. Ms. Blazek could have given constructive advice, but instead, she chose to tear this woman down. Although she apologized, apparently she still did not grant her access to the job bank.

186. What a Shrew. Clearly, SHE does not know how Linked In works. Respectful, Unassuming Professionals such as these do not deserve to be berated by the likes of this 2 bit Headhunter who lacks the cooth, professionalism and decency to treat people that matter like they matter. Her apology was ridiculous. What a douche.

187. the funniest thing with the ever flowing sands of time, is that you realize that buster rats like this woman are everywhere. you call out one and the others are in the sideline laughing their asses off. the rats are everywhere and are in such numbers that you can’t bully them out of power. you can’t bully the bullies. while it makes sense that people would look at this woman with her head so far up her own ass that if you punched her in the stomach you’d break her jaw. and say to themselves “man, what a b-word that c-lick is” but clearly we as a culture to look inwards not just ourselves, but of our society. to truly grasp why such like this happened and shift our nature into a more kind and accepting embrace of each other. for when we do that we can unite to take on the mind controlling cloud people and liberate ourselves from their needless bone collecting.

     send feet pics

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