I originally wrote this a few years ago, but never published it. It seems as timely today as then. It's a reflection on the differing perspectives and roles of management, HR, and legal counsel as businesses focus more intently on "talent management."

Introduction

Several recent trends are combining to create both greater legal risks and increased opportunities for employers seeking to improve their strategies for attracting, hiring, promoting, and retaining the best employees.

Businesses driven by an emerging consciousness of the need for overall talent management strategies are making changes in employment practices. Simultaneously, broad-based legal challenges to such practices are on the rise.

The holistic approach favored by wise talent management advocates suggests substantial talent management roles for legal counsel and human resources ("HR"), in addition to a larger role for upper management in what have traditionally been HR functions.

Yet upper management's and legal counsel's lack of appreciation for the HR knowledge base, negative stereotyping of HR, and HR outsourcing may all serve to limit involvement of HR. Legal counsel also may be given only a secondary role in planning and strategy, as talent management becomes seen as a central business function, and legal counsel a costly resource to be used only once trouble strikes.

"Talent Management" Comes to the Fore

Enlightened management increasingly recognizes the extent to which the value of a business derives from its people -- its "human capital." The Human Capital Institute states: "[C]orporate market value is increasingly defined as the sum of human intangibles -- ranging from the public perception of a company's intellectual capacity, to its perceived ability to create new solutions, enter new markets and respond to change."

With this recognition of the role of human capital comes new management jargon -- "talent management." This term has been defined as "the strategic management of the flow of talent through an organization . . . to assure that the supply . . . is available to align the right people with the right jobs at the right time based on strategic business objectives." This requires "a tight link between business objectives and organizational processes for selecting, developing, appraising and rewarding people."

Who can best forge this necessary link, bringing these employment processes in line with business objectives and ensuring the needed supply and alignment of talent?

What About HR?

As a management employment lawyer, I have tended to see HR primarily in its administrative and legal compliance roles, but I recently began discovering some of its other dimensions.

HR is a profession and academic discipline with its own rapidly-growing body of knowledge, including a great deal of practical information on best practices for employment functions vital to successful talent management, such as:

• Recruiting, interviewing, testing, and selection of employees
• Development of compensation systems and incentives
• Training of new and existing employees

Employee evaluation, performance improvement, and promotion.
Adopting such HR best practices can have a measurable impact on the bottom line, and much effort is being devoted to "HR metrics" for evaluating such impact.

Those in the forefront of the HR profession seek to move beyond administrative and legal compliance roles and to participate in "strategic business-HR alignment."

However, such efforts may confront resistance from management that views HR as competent at "administrivia," but "uniquely unsuited" to such a strategic role. Other stereotyped criticism of HR professionals ranges from lack of intelligence to going into HR "for the wrong reasons" to not being "particularly interested in, or equipped for, doing business." See Keith Hammonds, Why We Hate HR, Fast Company (August 2005). For a contrary view, see HR As Black Sheep Of Dysfunctional Corporate Family; Debate rages over "Why we Hate HR."

Such negative attitudes create a risk that some of the most valuable potential contributors to reshaping talent management strategies may not be heard.

The Legal Risks

Development of new talent management strategies is taking place against an employment litigation landscape that has become more hazardous for such activities.

Ambitious trial lawyers have found most individual employment discrimination cases insufficiently lucrative. They are now turning to large race, sex, and age discrimination class actions challenging broad-based employment practices affecting hundreds or thousands of people.

Recent highly publicized cases of this type involving talent management practices such as hiring, promotion, and compensation have concluded with huge settlements that included millions of dollars in attorneys' fees, virtually assuring that such cases will plague American business for years to come.

These class actions typically rely heavily on statistical evidence and the disparate impact theory of discrimination, which does not require proof of discriminatory intent. Instead, a sufficient statistical disparity, often fairly easy to establish, requires employers to establish a valid business justification for a challenged employment practice.

HR experts can help provide the needed justification, if sound HR principles were applied in the development or modification of the practice. Knowledgeable employment counsel can provide input into such development or modification, by bringing realistic legal risk assessment and minimization skills to the table.

Outsourcing HR

Another trend impacting talent management efforts is that many businesses are outsourcing various HR functions.

Such arrangements may deliver greater administrative efficiency and expertise, particularly for small-to-medium sized businesses.

But on the down side, they may also diminish opportunities for coordination of overall talent management strategies and for employment law risk management, while leaving significant exposure.

Outsourcing may also result in the layoff of experienced HR staff, diminishing in-house HR expertise.

Conclusion -- Management, Legal Counsel, and Qualified HR Professionals Should Join Forces in Crafting Talent Management Strategies

As corporate leaders increasingly recognize the bottom-line importance of talent management strategies, they may be reluctant to fully involve HR in top-level talent management strategic planning, particularly if they view HR as mere administrators lacking business acumen, rather than key strategic players possessing valuable knowledge.

Turf warfare may be anticipated as business leaders gain interest in traditional HR functions. "CFOs think they should be more involved in human capital decisions." But although there is a growing consensus that "managing human capital is now a strategic responsibility increasingly shared by all an organization's leaders," "historically, relationships between the finance and human resources functions have too often ranged from adversarial to mutually uncomprehending," and "there still remains an undercurrent of discomfort."

In-house HR expertise may have become less available with the outsourcing of various HR-related functions. Outside employment counsel may also not be fully utilized in this vital area of business planning, particularly if viewed as cost-effective only for litigation. Both HR professionals and legal counsel may also be underutilized if they are perceived as unacquainted with vital business objectives -- or unconcerned with them.

The result may be that new strategies that are governed by a bewildering array of federal and state employment laws and regulations are designed without sufficient input from two sources of expertise vital to employment law compliance.

Such expertise is needed now more than ever in the current employment law environment, with its widespread and costly class-action challenges to fundamental talent management policies. Bottom line interests are not advanced through employment practices that appear to make business sense but leave the company unduly vulnerable to legal challenge.

The better approach is for upper management, HR, and legal counsel to work together to carefully develop talent management strategies that are based on proven HR best practices and that further vital business objectives without unduly increasing legal risk.

HR and legal expertise is more effectively and efficiently utilized if brought in relatively early in the process, rather than used only to review, implement, and defend decisions made by others.

HR and employment counsel can contribute much value to the development of talent management strategies. HR professionals bring to the table knowledge of practices that are supported by research and expert consensus, and therefore more defensible. Employment law counsel brings valuable experience bearing not only on substantive issues, but also on litigation realities that must be taken into account.

For example, many employers find that personality, honesty, or physical ability tests have much common sense appeal as hiring screening devices.

A competent HR professional will know that such tests could become the basis for discrimination class actions and will recommend consultation with employment counsel.

Counsel will help evaluate the legal risk of various options, and, in anticipation of potential litigation, will make recommendations regarding documentation of the decisional process and the justification for the decisions.

Avoiding such input for reasons such as "HR doesn't understand business" or "our employment lawyers are too expensive" will only leave the company more vulnerable to predation by ambitious class action lawyers with big war chests. And make no mistake, they are on the warpath now.

Article by George Lenard, the originator of George's Employment Blawg, has over twenty years of experience in all aspects of labor and employment law, including preventive law as well as litigation. His special interests include employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and noncompetition agreements. He is currently a managing partner with Harris, Dowell, Fisher & Harris, L.C., in St. Louis, Missouri, and lives in the suburb of University City with his wife and family.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 30, 2008 at 8:17 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

That's what is on my mind today.

About 2 months ago I was assigned to a team created within Sodexo's Talent Acquisition Group called the, "Candidate Experience Team." The purpose of this group is to examine our current recruitment practices (from the candidate's experience) and recommend not only ways of improving, but also to develop supporting materials that will help our recruiters implement the new best practices.

Ultimately, we really just want to make the initial interaction and all of the touch points after with Sodexo are positive for all of our candidates (regardless of the outcome of the hire) and to ensure the new hires transition from candidates to Sodexo employees smoothly.

Because I am not a recruiter and I do not have experience with interviewing our candidates this has been a learning opportunity for me and having recently been through the hiring process here at Sodexo, it's also been enlightening. Now I know what really went on behind the scenes before I was offered my job and I am officially impressed with the thorough and thoughtful process.

So why is the candidate experience so important to us?

We believe that improvements to our candidate experience will make Sodexo stand out as an employer of choice in this competitive hiring market. Enhancing the candidate's experience will also help us improve communications with our candidates and improve our employer branding - a high priority for us.

Improving our candidate experience will establish Sodexo as a great place to work and will set the stage for our candidates to begin their career with Sodexo on a positive and fulfilling note. In researching this subject, I found a great article on ERE.net called, 10 Things Candidates Hate; 10 Things They Love - I thought it was an appropriate link for this post.

Courtesy of Sodexo Careers Blog Making every day a better day.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 27, 2008 at 8:08 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Over the past months I have been very vocal (and critical) about how I believe many in the recruiting profession have become lazy. So much talk about "The War for Talent" but I have witnessed most recruiters (search firms and corporations) are using a pea shooter at best when it comes to sourcing, recruiting and ultimately hiring talent.

Job boards are a tool, not the only tool just as cold calls, referrals, and email are tools of the trade. But there are more "weapons" that a recruiter has at their disposal.

Besides, if you are on the job boards and are finding lower numbers and less talented candidates why do you spend more time and dollars on them? That is the definition of insanity.

Tools and techniques that will be talked about:

• Creating passive candidate relationships
• Building talent pools
• Proactive recruiting
• Use of internal databases
• Use of search engines to locate candidates using keywords and search strings
• Use of newsletters and email communication
• Using Social Networking sites like MySpace and Facebook
• Establishing relationships via Twitter
• Using and promoting RSS Feeds
• Starting a blog
• Writing job ads
• Customer service to candidates
• SEO

There are many more topics than the above that over time will be covered.

There will be a few main themes that will be mentioned on a regular basis:

• This is the main one: it is about creating and developing relationships with people. We do not sell iPods, cars or widgets so stop treating people a like a "thing" you are trying to sell.
• Go where your candidates are. Do not wait for them to come to you.
• What distinguishes you, the company, and the opportunity from the other five calls your candidate received this week?
• A recruiter must hunt and farm at the same time. Relying just on cold calls and job boards is as insane as only building pools of candidates. Balance is needed.
• Customer service, customer service, customer service. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Respond to candidates in the same timely manner you expect when looking for a job.

Recruiter 101 will be just that, an introduction to a tool or technique. Where available I will link to other sites and blogs where you can get more in depth information on the topic.

One thing to note is that I will be writing from my perspective as a 10+ year IT recruiter here in Minneapolis. No doubt something I write may not work for your situation, that you have done it a different way or you just in general think the way I have gone about things is wrong.

That's OK. Just as I am trying to help "teach", I am hoping visitors will leave ideas that I can learn from and tweak what has worked for me and improve my practice.

Feel free to comment, question and challenge.

Article by Paul DeBettignies and courtesy of MN Headhunter -- where they "play with their cards face up."

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 27, 2008 at 8:01 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The top reasons for performing employment background and drug screening today are to mitigate risk, improve the quality of hire, promote workplace safety and meet regulatory compliance requirements, finds a survey of firms of all sizes that currently use background screening technology. Furthermore, more than half of all companies currently use or plan to use a screening solution integrated with their applicant tracking or talent management solution, reveals the associated compiling of this research, the 2008 HireRight Background Screening Benchmarking Report.

The vast majority (93%) of firms that use background screening technology verify candidates' educational backgrounds with it, according to the survey's results, followed closely by those (88%) who use it to verify past employment. Interestingly, only 13% use background screening technology to look at candidates' usage of social networks, and barely more than one-quarter (27%) use it as a way to vet candidates' references.

Additional findings include:

• Extended workforces, including consultants, contract labor, temporary and vendor personnel, are screened one-third as often as the permanent, full-time workforce, resulting in increased risk for firms that utilize contingent labor
• A little more than one-third of all respondents indicate their organization conducts background checks internationally in some form
• Job applicants are five times more likely to be screened than current employees, highlighting the existing employee risk that may exist at many companies

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 27, 2008 at 7:43 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

According to a global study on coaching, commissioned by the American Management Association (AMA) and conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), of the more than 1,000 managers and executives surveyed on the subject of coaching, 60% claim coaching involves high potential employees to a high or very high extent, 42% state the same about executives, and that 37% indicate that they coach problem employees to such a high extent. The survey, Coaching: A Global Study of Successful Practices defines coaching as "a short- to medium-term relationship between a manager or senior leader and a consultant (internal or external) with the purpose of improving work performance" (Douglas & McCauley, 1999). And this study reveals that coaching is linked to improved performance, both at the individual and organizational levels. "Executive coaching has become one of the tools to achieve effective leadership in today's vastly changing corporate culture. As we increasingly learn how to measure executive coaching, we will find that we manage its role in leadership development better," says Edward T. Reilly, president and CEO of American Management Association. "In going forward, what we have learned from this study will pave the way to a clearer understanding of the possibilities of executive coaching and practice. Change will need to come quickly given the vacancies in top management that are likely to occur due to retirement of the baby boomer generation," Reilly adds. Further findings suggest that raising individual levels of performance is the number one reason for using coaching and that using coaching for this purpose is highly correlated with the success of coaching programs. Yet while there are many ways of designing and implementing coaching programs - not all are equally effective, the study finds. In addition to, when asked to what extent their organizations used certain criteria to match coaches with coaches, survey participants reveal that the most frequent basis for matching was the area of the coach's expertise. In fact, 74% say matching decisions were--either frequently or a great deal--based on finding a coach with the right expertise to address specific issues. Needless to say, matching the right expertise with the right client is associated with higher success rates.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 27, 2008 at 7:36 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Following closely behind the recent redesign of its individual magazine Web sites, Advance, a resource for clinical information, professional news, and career opportunities, announces the launch of its enhanced healthcare job search database. Improvements to the site encompass new search options, larger job listings, and faster access to helpful job search tools as well as links to additional resources. According to the site, these upgrades make it easier for job-seekers to track down career opportunities that match their needs, enabling one to search the Advance for Healthcare Careers Web site by title, location, position level, as well as practice setting. In addition to these navigation improvements, Advance is in the process of upgrading several career resources, which include a Resume Builder tool and Salary Calculator. As Advance continues to enhance its job search Web site, healthcare professionals can take advantage of increasingly effective search abilities and more user-friendly services.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 27, 2008 at 7:31 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 67% of people with disabilities are unemployed, making them the largest unemployed population in America. In order to create employment opportunities for this population, Disaboom, an online community designed for people touched by disabilities, has a unique step by hiring its own online community members in order to help build the Marketplace for products and services that serve their own community. The new program, Marketplace Opportunity Brokers, enables Disaboom members and others the opportunity to earn significant commissions by selling business listings to local and national businesses and organizations that the community members know are accessible and supportive of people touched by disabilities. "People touched by disabilities represent a large percentage of the unemployed population in America. These are individuals with the talent and the motivation, but often require jobs that are flexible and accessible - jobs that meet their unique lifestyles," says founder, Dr. Glen House. "The Disaboom Marketplace Opportunity Broker program offers people touched by disability the unique opportunity to be employed on their own terms. They can work from their home, when they are able, and sell as much or as little as they'd like." To date, more than 350 Disaboom members have signed up to become Marketplace Opportunity Brokers or MOB team members, and this freelance sales force continues to grow daily. "This is really historic: a job with an online community that in turn helps the community itself," states House. "People touched by disabilities are looking for a resource where they can find businesses that understand their preferences and purchase decisions, and Disaboom's Marketplace serves as a one-stop shop, whether it is for adaptable equipment or just dinner and a movie."

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 27, 2008 at 7:28 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

While in India last month, I had the opportunity to meet the head of Google India, Shailesh Rao. India is in an economic boom with a GDP growth of 9 percent (compared to 3 percent with the US) in an extremely competitive talent market. It is interesting to see how Google, one of the most innovative companies today, is addressing the talent challenge. In short, what can we learn from this smart and innovative company about how they address the talent challenge in a hyper growth market?

Google India, Google's second largest employee population outside the US, is divided between core R&D, global support for advertisers, and is an organization focused on the Indian market itself. Compared to many organizations today that go to India purely to leverage the cost advantage of offshoring, Google takes the local market of one billion consumers very seriously.

Rao, who was educated in the US and has US work experience, admits that the talent issue is very severe in India as well. Talent demand is far superior to the supply. Rao claims that talent acquisition, one of his main job functions, has a true strategic impact on his company. Hiring the right people and building the right team is critical to the success of the organization, which is why he spends a significant amount of time in recruitment.

The good news for this emerging market, according to Rao, is that the technical skills of those coming straight out of college in India are better than those in the US. Yet, some shortages do exist, especially in the area of leadership and collective global experience. Some differences also exist in the intrinsic cultural aspect, such as how one shows respect for one's elders, even though at times, when it comes, to business, this can result in lost productivity. The best example of this can be seen when one accepts orders from a superior even while knowing that they are being led to perform unnecessary tasks in a certain area. Another difference is the importance of titles, as the Google culture in Silicon Valley strives to emphasize impact rather than hierarchy.

What is Google looking for in people?
Google looks for four main criteria: People who are smart, innovative, and fit well within the Google culture. But most importantly, it looks for people that are driven to make an impact. This, in my opinion, is what depicts Google's culture quite distinctively--the quest for people that are looking to make an impact. The smart thing about this is that it contains in it the necessity for execution and results. Impact does not mean a specific impact (i.e. to organize world information), but to work in order to deliver something that will be noticeable.

What is the difference between the Indian market and the US market? They are both looking for people that can make an impact, but, according to Rao, the core difference is that the US market is driven by self-actualization factors while the Indian market sees compensation as being a more important motivational tool. Rao's views were confirmed by what I read in a major Indian newspaper, which is that compensation is very important in this market, and looking only at recognition, benefits, and fulfillment will be shortsighted.

Google's employer brand
A great salary is not the end-all and be-all either. The Google brand is an important factor that also serves to attract people. Branding is conceived by living the brand and not by spending millions of dollars on creating a reputation. The brand is therefore seen more as a consequence of the way you operate your business than simply a marketing exercise. Thus, work satisfaction, the 20 percent rule (20 percent of work time is spent on individual projects), and work flexibility are all important aspects of creating the employment brand. But of course you still need to communicate to make sure, especially at the university level, that people are aware of what makes Google a great employer. Yet communication is achieved by building relationships with customers and living the brand and not by way of commercials.

Advertising for jobs on Google
Does this mean Google doesn't advertise its jobs? Quite the contrary, for online ads are one of the most efficient ways they attract people. They initially focus their efforts on their own corporate website, where you can find all job openings.

They also leverage the traditional job boards. Most interestingly, they leverage their own ad-words to attract passive job seekers, like many job boards are already doing. Not only does this represent a huge growth market for Google, it is also a very cost effective way for many companies to attract qualified candidates. Indeed, many companies already do so. What remains a mystery is why more organizations aren't leveraging this cost per click model to source active and passive candidates. If there is one lesson to be learned, it is to explore this way of driving people to your site, for it is an efficient way to supplement organic search traffic volume.

Referrals are also important to source people, as well as campus relations and active searches. Google likes to know, in a "surgical" way, where candidates are and who is a top performer.

Assessment: leveraging the wisdom of crowds Finding people to fill jobs isn't all there is to Google; for what distinguishes it from other corporations is that it doesn't compromise on quality. The core method of its organization is to leverage the wisdom of the crowd, or what is called the collective intelligence (for more on this see Checkster blog), to produce superior results.

In short, recruiting decisions are more accurately made when based on the group consensus rather than an individual's assessment, for one may simply be trying to force another individual into a certain role. Leveraging the collective intelligence mainly relies on two core techniques: interviewing and reference checking.

It is well known that Google performs many interviews, more than the typical organization. The most important distinction is that their interview process includes not only bosses and peers, but also junior team members. They all understand that the best assessment of a candidate comes from the multiple associated views of a complete team and not just those of the future manager.

The second element is the reference check. At Checkster, our approach to reference checking, or leveraging the collective intelligence of co-workers, is shared by Google. What better way to assess people than to have other team members tell them how they performed in the past?

Finally, Rao also pushes the fact that new potential hires need to understand that they own the decision. It is a fit, a mutual decision, and he never oversells a job because he understands the cost of a bad hire. So before making any final offers, he wants to make sure that he covers all the negatives that may be included in a job.

What can India teach us about talent management?
My last question to Mr. Rao was "What have the Indian markets taught you about the hiring process?" He structured his answer into three main parts:

1. The market is so competitive that it reminds you every day that people and talent are critical to corporate success.
2. Informal channels for sourcing and reference checking can prove to be very good, and those processes should be used.
3. It is impossible to identify a single incentive or employee value proposition that will appeal to every employee. Each individual is different. In a global company and a country as large as India, with people across the board in terms of wealth, education, and experience, you need to understand what is important to them. Some will value salary, others mobility and internal opportunities, while a few will be inspired by global opportunities.

With Google's focus on the impact of new recruits, I couldn't resist asking Mr. Rao about his expected impact. He responded with four items: Being a great ambassador for Google; identifying the right priorities; structuring the organization for maximum performance; and the answer that came first from his mouth: Hiring Great People! With Google's focus on talent management, we can only see a great future for Google in this part of the world.

Article by Yves Lermusi and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 27, 2008 at 7:19 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has released a new I-9 Form. While there are no substantive changes, employers are required to start using the new form immediately. It's available here on the USCIS site.

How do you tell if you're using the right form? It's easy. The new I-9 has an expiration date at the top of 06/30/09 and a revision date of 06/16/08 at the bottom. The old one was set to expire at the end of June.

Article by Mark Toth, Chief Legal Officer of Manpower's North American operations, and courtesy of Manpower Employment Blawg. Mark also serve as Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President of Franchise Relations and serve on our Global Leadership Team, North American Lead Team, Executive Diversity Steering Committee and Sarbanes-Oxley Steering Committee.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 26, 2008 at 7:17 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Have you wondered how some businesses are able to create membership based programmes that allows them to enjoy recurring revenue from, month after month, year after year?

I've noticed an increase in the number of organisations considering this as an option. In fact in the CEO of online retailer Zappos recently posted a question asking for feedback about whether people would be interested in being part of a paid for community where the Zappos management team would share information about their organisation, marketing and people policies - from their innovative ways of engaging their people through to the use of social media as part of their marketing communications strategy.

But how do you get started to build an online membership based business?

I was recently asked to review a book by one of our previous guests of Biz Growth Live, Sheri McConnell, who is the Founder and President herself of two membership based businesses.

Sheri has been teaching clients over a number of years how to create a membership based business, and now she has taken the time out to write her guidance in a new book released today, Smart Women Create Membership-Based Businesses.

The book covers aspects of how to establish the business model for a membership based business, how to attract and connect with relevant business partners, creating and leading a virtual team to support you and the key systems you need to have in place to succeed with a membership based business.

It's a great primer if you are considering establishing a membership based business.

Having reviewed the book, here is the testimonial I provided Sheri:

"If there is one person I know who understand the value of developing a business model leveraging the creation of a membership programme and building a thriving community then it's Sheri McConnell. In this book Sheri lays out the foundations and steps to creating a membership based business. If you are looking for ways to build on your reputation, tap into a new profit stream and become a key influencer in your market place, then this book is a must read."

But don't take my word for it, find out what other women think about Smart Women Create Membership-Based Businesses.

While you are on that page, and for today only, you will also notice that to celebrate the launch of her new book, Sheri has asked members of her network (me included) to provide some terrific bonuses including audio's and special reports about marketing and social media which are accessible free of charge if you purchase Smart Women Create Membership-Based Businesses today.

Article by Krishna De and courtesy of Biz Growth News blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 26, 2008 at 7:07 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Have you found yourself receiving text messages from businesses marketing their products or services recently?

Or do you find that when you are out an about and you search on a web browser from your mobile phone or PDA that you find it difficult to get the information you need about a business - perhaps the opening hours of a shop or their phone number from their website?

Whether we are ready or not, mobile marketing is here and it's here to stay.

But what does that mean if you have a small business?

Well that's the question I am putting to Kim Dushinski, author of the forthcoming book The Mobile Marketing Handbook on this week's Biz Growth Live Teleseminar Masterclass. I'll be in conversation with Kim on Monday 30 June 2008 at 1pm ET (6pm Dublin and London).

Here are the details of the Masterclass:

DATE OF THE MOBILE MARKETING MASTERCLASS: Monday 30 June 2008

TIME OF THE MOBILE MARKETING MASTERCLASS: 6pm Dublin and London/ 1pm ET/10am PT

INVESTMENT: FREE

REGISTER: Register here by subscribing for our newsletter if you are not already a member of our community and you will receive the dial in number.

Some of the questions we will be covering include:

• What is mobile marketing and why is it an important strategy for us to begin to consider?
• What are the different elements of a mobile marketing strategy that we need to consider?
• How mobile marketing should be implemented in relation to your overall marketing strategy for your firm/business
• What we need to take into consideration if we are to invest in making our website mobile friendly?
• How and when to use text messaging as part of your mobile marketing strategy?

If you have questions for Kim and I you can ask them by posting them here or on our live questions page or to our FriendFeed room.

If you want to get the low down on mobile marketing, don't miss this Masterclass - and remember it's free to join us.

Article by Krishna De and courtesy of Biz Growth News blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 26, 2008 at 6:59 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

by Guest Blogger Anthony Scarpino

As a recruitment manager for Sodexo, I need to be familiar with changes in workforce demographics. Today, most headlines on this topic point to the millions of retiring Baby Boomers and the role that Gen Y will play in replacing them.

Reams of recruitment media warn corporate America that these young people will save the world from a catastrophic talent crisis but they will do so, on their own terms. They are called demanding, impatient, self-absorbed and in need of continuous positive reinforcement. They will have limited loyalty to an employer and insist on working for fun, flexible companies that will adapt to their personal lives.

The father of two Millennials myself, I recently asked my wife, "What could have happened in the formative years of these kids that was so terrible it ruined the entire generation?" I dismiss her first reply regarding the amount of aspartame she drank while pregnant to which she counters, "Then it must be your fault."

Turns out, she may be onto something.

Last week, at a conference hosted by Monster.com, I saw this clip from the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes in which they attribute the roots of Gen Y behavior to the doting, helicopter parents that raised them. My mind began to wander back over my last few weeks at home...

I missed Daughter #1's last softball game while on a business trip. It was one of only two that I missed during the season and one of only two that her team won. Still, every player on every team took home a trophy. There were no losers, all winners and everyone was special. Daughter #2's "trophy game" is this weekend.

I am very lucky to have a job that allows me to be ever present in my kids' lives. Take for example, this past Friday when I joined an auditorium full of proud parents watching their children graduate...er, uh...celebrate moving from the 5th grade to the 6th grade. I'll post the videos on YouTube for the grandparents.

We've decided to suspend Daughter #1's piano lessons for the summer. She'll need those 30 minutes each week to spend with friends, at the pool club and in summer camps. Maybe she'll pick the lessons back up next fall, maybe not. If she does, I'm sure we'll be much stricter about her practicing between lessons. Won't we?

As you can see, I am creating two more for the generation that has grown up always winning, always rewarded and always in the spotlight. Did I mention that we celebrate half-birthdays in our house? The next one is not until September so maybe I'll blog about that then.

That being said, I proudly take the blame for contributing to the Gen Y mystique. Because if I am to be credited for the challenges that they bring to employers, I too should be credited for the aspects that will make them the most valuable and accomplished demographic our world has ever known.

As the most diverse generation, they demand an inclusive environment in which all people are valued and discrimination in any form is not tolerated. They will be outstanding coaches, mentors and managers with an unsurpassed ability to
build the self-esteem of their work group.

Gen Y will be the most highly educated, tech savvy generation ever. Ninety percent of high school seniors expect to attend college and many will embrace the culture of life long learning and personal development encouraged at Sodexo.

The will invest in social causes, their community and our planet. Extraordinary works recognized by Sodexo's Stop Hunger Foundation are examples of the passion and purpose in Gen Y today.

At Temple services this evening, our Rabbi described a learning environment where there were no tests to pass or fail and no homework assignments or class work. Instead, an individual is judged on their life's work. "Passing and failing", she said, "is a lifetime experience."

I believe Gen Y will grow accustomed to being judged on their daily work and annual achievement of goals. But I believe their true worth will be illustrated by what they will contribute to their families, their communities and to our planet throughout their adult lives.

I salute the parents of this generation who, like me and my wife, are both teaching and learning from them. I look forward to the day that I meet your son, daughter, niece, or nephew and welcome them to the Sodexo team.

Courtesy of Sodexo Careers Blog Making every day a better day.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 25, 2008 at 12:19 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Today's new college graduates and their Baby Boomer counterparts may have more in common than you would expect--including a willingness to trade their free time for their job--according to results of a new study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

NACE's 2008 Graduating Student Survey shows little to no difference among Class of 2008 graduates and Class of 1982 graduates on questions related to work hours and trade-offs between work and life commitments.

In comparing results of NACE's current student survey to those of a similar study NACE conducted in 1982, "we found that Gen Y is no more focused on 'work-life' balance than Baby Boomers were when they graduated," says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. "In general, both groups were willing to give up time to succeed in their careers."

Instead, differences between the two graduating classes crop up on issues of community; job and economic security; and the ethical behavior of employers.

"The Class of 2008 tends to be somewhat more community-oriented, more concerned with job and economic security, and more focused on the ethical behavior of employers than the Class of 1982," says Mackes.

Complete results of NACE's 2008 Graduating Student Survey will be released this summer. Selected results are currently available on NACE's web site:

"Recruiting Gen Y - What Do They Want?" (podcast)

"The Oldest Young Generation: A Report From the 2008 NACE Graduating Student Survey" (article)

Since 1956, theNational Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has been the leading source of information about the employment of college graduates. NACE maintains a virtual press room for the media at www.naceweb.org/press/.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 25, 2008 at 12:13 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Admittedly, staying on HR's good side is probably not at the top of your list of managerial priorities, but HR has the power to make your life easier...or very difficult. Over at HR Capitalist, Kris Dunn has five great tips for how managers can make HR love them.

You clearly communicate expectations. Your employees understand their objectives, and they also understand performance you consider to be not meeting, meeting and exceeding your expectations in each micro area. Not a lot of surprises in your group when it comes to performance management. Nice...

Talent is important to you, but you are a realist. You want the best talent, but you seem to have a knack regarding what type of talent you can get for your open slot. With that in mind, you'll hold out for a better candidate, but you know when to cut to the chase and close the deal.

You have a sense of urgency in Employee Relations issues. You know if you let employee relations issues fester in your group, it's only going to get worse. With that in mind, you're proactive, and always looking to talk about where you need to go with a certain situation to ensure it doesn't blow up.

You have a situation-specific sense of humor. Face it, we talk about a lot of sticky stuff, including your own plight, and you mix humor with seriousness like a champ. Thanks for understanding we're going to work through it and laughing with me/at me.

You have the ability to anticipate outcomes and reactions to your actions. You see the game. If you are thinking about taking a specific action, you proactively talk about what that will mean to others, how others will perceive it, the political landscape, etc.

Kris claims that he didn't put anything administrative in the list, like "you get the forms to me", or "your reviews are always done on time". Those things are apparently easily fixable, whereas if a manager doesn't do the things above, all the administrative excellence in the world won't matter. Thanks, Kris!

Article by Alexandra Levit and courtesy of Water Cooler Wisdom blog.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 24, 2008 at 8:03 AM | Leave a Comment (1)

Lance Haun, the writer behind Your HR Guy, diversified his blogging portfolio with the launch of HRMToday.com last week.

HRMToday.com is going to be focusing on issues HR Professionals are dealing with on a daily basis. There are going to be two differences between my current site YourHRGuy.com and the new site:

HRM Today won't be centered around career advice like my current blog. It will be a site for and by HR professionals to interact and talk about today's issues.
HRM Today is a multi-user platform allowing any HR professional who wishes to participate to share their blogs with a focused audience. Whether that be through cross-posting, promoting current blog postings or writing blog postings on their customizable author pages.

Congratulations, Lance. I look forward to reading more.

Article by Jim Durbin and courtesy of StlRecruiting.com

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 24, 2008 at 7:55 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Have you seen the new Hancock film with Will Smith yet?

I've just seen the trailer for it on TV so far as it's not released in Ireland as yet.

The back story is that Hancock is a superhero with a bad reputation - infact he has a really bad reputation in relation to his personal brand online.

In the film, Hancock is an alcoholic who does not care about other people's opinions - even his wife thinks he is a lost cause.

I'm sure that the drinks industry in Ireland and MEAS in particular will be watching to ensure that the promotions and trailers for the film are socially responsible as Hancock drinks and flies!

In the film, Hancock meets PR executive Ray Embrey who shows Hancock evidence of his anti social behaviour online through video's that have been posted at YouTube.

With social media being represented in main stream media such as film in this way, it will be interesting to monitor:

- how many business leaders start to ego surf to find out what secrets Google has in store for them when they look for their personal brand online

- how many marketers and business leaders in Ireland start to seriously consider digital and social media marketing

- how many online reputation monitoring services are approached by companies who begin to realise the importance of measuring the social media climate online

- how many PR agencies in Ireland start to introduce online reputation management as part of their services they provide to clients.

If you're a consultant in social media, I'm guessing you'll see some increase in interest from potential clients wanting to learn more about social media.

Article by Krishna De and courtesy of Biz Growth News blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 24, 2008 at 7:36 AM | Leave a Comment (1)

I was delighted to see that the CIPD had commissioned a paper to explore Web 2.0 and HR and that input is being sought from the HR community.

The stated goal of the CIPD, Web 2.0 and Human Resources research insight report is:

to encourage 'personal reflection and debate among the HR community about the way newer web-based technologies are influencing people management.

However I the inital tone of the Web 2.0 and HR report as the authors stated convered me:

...we believe that specialists in people management, learning and development, work design and change management functions of organisations are likely to find themselves under increasing pressure to adopt Web 2.0 applications.

This for me feels like a disempowering way to explore Web 2.0 as it applies to human resources and people strategy.

I see the opportunity quite the reverse, that Web 2.0 provides an opportunity to truly deliver value against the people agenda and with little overhead - which we all know HR departments are being asked to control and reduce especially at a time of economic uncertainty - rather than the HR profession being 'under increasing pressure to adopt web 2.0 applications'.

The report provides a somewhat narrow approach to looking at web 2.0 as it applies to HR. Yes it's important for us to understand the different platforms, but we don't need HR professionals to become geeks in te area of Web 2.0 and social media.

What might have been a more effective and engaging approach and easier for the HR community to get their minds around Web 2.0 and social media, would be to look at the employment life cycle and then explore the potential Web 2.0 applications that could be applied and be of benefit to each stage to ensure that people and organisation strategy objectives are met.

For example:

• the use of online video and employee blogs on a company's career site to bring career opportunities to life when attracting talent and express the employer brand at the point of recruitment
• the use of podcasts to support embedding of learning and the sharing of information from town hall meetings to a distributed workforce
• the use of a wiki to provide accurate access to employment policies without the resources needed to print out hundreds of copies of literature
• the use of an enterprise social network to support the talent agenda and create a data base that can be used in management development reviews.

The report covers the features of Web 2.0 based on a model provided by Ross Dawson.

However the areas of work covered missed some critical enablers that Web 2.0 provides which are highly relevant for HR and it's role in supporting the deliver of business strategy for example:

• empowering organisational learning and the development of a learning organisation
• embedding learning and supporting organisational development
• creating communities of practice, expertise and recording organisational knowledge
• facilitating employee engagement and communications
• encouraging and accessing innovation and rapid capability development
• managing and reducing controllable costs.

In the area that covered social networking, I was suprised not to read of the importance that social network LinkedIn plays in recruitment with many executive recruiters using LinkedIn to search for potential candidates and as I have written about previously how candidates are looking for the profiles of HR Directors, recruiters and talent managers on LinkedIn before they meet them.

It should be remembered that social media and Web 2.0 platforms should be considered in the context of the organisation culture and processes and that they are platforms that can be integrated into a broader communication programme. I'm not suggesting that they are the only solutions to enable employee communications.

The CIPD Wed 2.0 and HR report does provide case studies of Pfizer who use an internal wiki, three UK government departments who use message boards, management blogs and podcasts and T-Mobile who use social networking for recruitment.

Additional case studies I would recommend HR professionals explore would be those of BT, ebay, IBM and Microsoft as I covered recently when live blogging from the Ragan Communications and Simply Communicate International Employee Communications Summit.

In summary it is great to see that the CIPD is starting to consider Web 2.0 as it relates to HR. I'd really welcome the CIPD exploring Web 2.0 as it relates to how HR can enable the delivery of business strategy thorough social media rather than HR solutions for the sake of HR goals.

What I do know from conversations I have had at the IIA Social Media Working Group and from many other conversations at conferences and with business leaders, along with my own experience of social media in enterprise, is that it's unlikely that HR will achieve a voice at the boardroom table on the subject of Web 2.0 strategies to enable the HR agenda without overtly making that connection.

Investment in company intranets, an area that HR and communications people alike should influence, falls far behind the investment in the external internet in most organisations. Investment in training and development and people related activities often gets cut at the time of an economic downturn.

Web 2.0 platforms can be applied quickly and cost effectively within the enterprise and the opportunity that HR has is that it's one of the few functions in business that has a connection with every element of the business.

Applying HR's knowledge and expertise to the agenda of organisational effectiveness, organisational development and the building and nurturing of a talent pool capable of delivering the growth strategy of businesses in a highly competitive and changing workplace is where HR can and should add significant value.

HR can not achieve this on their own. Reading the CIPD Web 2.0 and HR report is a start. Bringing groups of HR practitioners together for education sessions on Web 2.0 and social media strategies will help.

But the skills, opportunity and ability that many HR professionals have to facilitate and bring together groups of people from across the organisation to explore how Web 2.0 strategies can be applied to deliver the organisation's strategic priorities - now that is the sweet spot.

In the UK and Ireland, many corporates are still at the education and familiarisation phase of understanding social media and how it can be integrated into the business to support the delivery of strategic goals.

The CIPD and the exploration of Web 2.0 and HR study could provide a catalyst for HR to play a much more significant role in influencing adoption of enterprise social media which by it's nature can, will and should influence organisational culture and ways of working.

Perhaps the CIPD might consider creating a wiki as the IIA are doing for the IIA Social Media Working Group so that those with experience and insights in the area of social media and organisational development could contribute to this highly relevant and timely debate?

Article by Krishna De and courtesy of Biz Growth News blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 24, 2008 at 7:24 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Much has been made of the imminent mass exodus of baby boomers from the North American workforce--and the brain drain certain to accompany it. Ninety percent of executives and managers believe qualified leadership talent suffers from a perceptible gap between baby boomers and younger generations, finds a survey by Stanton Chase International and Birkman International of 37,000 U.S.- and Canadian-based firms of all sizes. But good news comes with additional research: Baby boomers are no more eager to retire than their predecessors, according to a survey by Novations Group of more than 2,500 senior HR executives in North America.

When asked how they would characterize the attitude toward retirement of the baby boomers in their organizations, just 14% of respondents to Novations' survey say their baby boomers seem eager to retire. Another 42% say their baby boomers seem no more eager to retire than previous generations did. Furthermore, nearly one-fifth (19%) say baby boomers do not seem eager to retire.

Regardless, the expectation that many baby boomers will retire is a logical one. Yet many organizations are ill-prepared for this, the study by Novation of 2,556 senior HR executives finds: Barely more than one-quarter (26%) of employers are taking steps to mitigate the possible loss of talent. Another 18% anticipate a serious loss of talent and institutional know-how, but currently do not have any steps in place to mitigate this loss. Furthermore, rightly or wrongly, an additional 36% don't expect an unusually large loss of talent with baby boomer retirements.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 24, 2008 at 7:10 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

A new initiative addressing the lack of diverse personnel within the tax profession aims to stave off a potential shortage of corporate tax professionals at a time when government regulation and financial requirements of large corporations are increasing. Tony Santiago, owner of Tax Search, Inc. and TaxTalent.com, recently launched TaxDiversity.com, a collaborative tax profession project focused on improving the diversity of both minorities and women in the tax profession as the traditional white male population begins to retire in large numbers. "As a recruiting firm and industry resource, we saw a lack of diversity particularly among minorities in the tax profession, as well as a lack of women in senior leadership roles," says Santiago. "With the number of retirees increasing fast and a long retraining time required for new hires, we must reach out to all populations quickly or there could be dire consequences. While individual companies have developed certain initiatives, no one has stepped up to create a comprehensive plan encompassing the entire tax profession." In fact, a recent survey of U.S. tax professionals conducted by the company found that more than 68% said that racial diversity at the senior executive level within the tax profession was below average or poor, and nearly half said that the availability of support systems to promote diversity among tax professionals was below average or poor. The initiative has already attracted the support of many industry professionals and organizations that all have a vested interest in increasing the number of diverse workers. "The fact remains that the tax profession is not fairly representative of the population. In fact, the population of non-white professionals at some meetings can sometimes be counted on one hand," says Maurice Agresta, tax counsel and vice president of public affairs for United Parcel Service who moved to the U.S. from Italy at the age of 19. "I think it's about time that we dedicate more time and efforts to this aspect of the profession."

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 24, 2008 at 7:05 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

A team of industry and recruiting veterans usher in a new era in job placement with the opening of a recruiting firm specializing in the placement and staffing of personnel in digital media. Jobdot is currently placing candidates throughout the country at both media and technology companies which offer a wide range of advertising solutions. "The digital media workforce is not an easy one to navigate," explains Jobdot's managing partner and co-founder, Jeff Kuntz. "While it can be a powerful means for marketing, it can also be confusing. Our extensive industry knowledge and expertise provides us with a unique perspective of the job requirements needed to support this growing market." Recent social and technological advancements have fueled tremendous growth in digital media. The continued growth and ongoing evolution of digital media, has created a wide array of open positions as well as a shortage of qualified individuals needed to meet the hiring demand. "Our in-depth understanding of recruitment processes and thorough candidate screening ensure quality job placement and a reduction in time-to-hire for employers," says Scott Berkson, also a managing partner and co-founder of Jobdot. "With our trusted and established relationships throughout the industry, we accurately assess our client and candidate needs to determine the best possible fit for both parties."

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 24, 2008 at 7:03 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

WorldatWork, a global human resources association, is named a winner of the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility, distinguishing the employer as a leading example of workplace flexibility across the nation. The Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility are awarded as part of the When Work Works project, an ongoing initiative of Families and Work Institute, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Twiga Foundation. The Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility recognize organizations that are dedicated to making work "work" for both the employer and the employees. Representing employers of all sizes and all types, winners of this prestigious award not only offer excellent workplace flexibility practices, but also use flexibility as a strategic business tool to enhance organizational effectiveness while also benefiting employees. The WorldatWork focus on flexibility has measurably reduced stress and absenteeism. Employees enjoy the option of onsite yoga and fitness classes, regular chair massages, and fitness screenings. A unique teleworking program allows employees to work in the environment that is best for them. "WorldatWork is not just an employer but, in many ways, a family of co-workers. There is a level of care and concern for the individual that is rare," said WorldatWork president Anne C. Ruddy, CCP. "WorldatWork supports an environment that recognizes that our employees have lives too, not just WorldatWork business hours. We practice what we educate our members on regarding flexibility and wellness and provide as much assistance and support to make sure that everyone here can be engaged, productive and focused on what's really important in life."

Tackling High Unemployment Rate for Disabled According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 67% of people with disabilities are unemployed, making them the largest unemployed population in America. In order to create employment opportunities for this population, Disaboom, an online community designed for people touched by disabilities, has a unique step by hiring its own online community members in order to help build the Marketplace for products and services that serve their own community. The new program, Marketplace Opportunity Brokers, enables Disaboom members and others the opportunity to earn significant commissions by selling business listings to local and national businesses and organizations that the community members know are accessible and supportive of people touched by disabilities. "People touched by disabilities represent a large percentage of the unemployed population in America. These are individuals with the talent and the motivation, but often require jobs that are flexible and accessible - jobs that meet their unique lifestyles," says founder, Dr. Glen House. "The Disaboom Marketplace Opportunity Broker program offers people touched by disability the unique opportunity to be employed on their own terms. They can work from their home, when they are able, and sell as much or as little as they'd like." To date, more than 350 Disaboom members have signed up to become Marketplace Opportunity Brokers or MOB team members, and this freelance sales force continues to grow daily. "This is really historic: a job with an online community that in turn helps the community itself," states House. "People touched by disabilities are looking for a resource where they can find businesses that understand their preferences and purchase decisions, and Disaboom's Marketplace serves as a one-stop shop, whether it is for adaptable equipment or just dinner and a movie."

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 24, 2008 at 6:59 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

ARTICLE SUMMARY: In this article I suggest reasons why business leaders, marketers and PR professionals should appreciate not fear bloggers.

Earlier this week I attended the first meeting of the Irish Internet Association Social Media Working Group.

As I have written about many times, Irish businesses have been slow to adopt social media for a variety of reasons and that was evident in the conversation that took place at the Social Media Working Group meeting.

The Social Media Working Group has a mix of participants from organisations looking to develop social media programmes as part of their marketing and communications strategies, through to web developers who are helping their clients with the technical elements of their web strategy and social media experts in Irish education.

One of the themes in the conversation was the reticence of connecting with bloggers - in fact almost a fear of the prominent bloggers in the Irish community which frankly I think is a shame. Irish bloggers are not mischievous leprechauns.

I recommended to the Social Media Working Group that through the development of the white papers planned in the forthcoming months, some of those Irish bloggers and those active in the Irish Twittersphere will be great people to connect with as they will be able to add valuable insights and suggestions for the content of the white papers.

Yes some organisations have come unstuck as they don't know how to build relationships with influencial bloggers and podcasters and instead pitch irrelevant stories to them.

As communicators, marketers and business leaders do you like to be pitched to or spammed with irrelevant messages? I'm guessing not and that's the case for bloggers too.

Behind every blog is a real person. Yes you may find one or two who are very outspoken and challenging to get to know - but don't you find that the same with people that you work with?

What I've come to learn about the Irish blogosphere and the global blogosphere is that most bloggers have positive intent and if they write a review that suggests your product is less than perfect they are doing so with the hope that they are not just using their blogs to vent frustration:

• other people will find the review of assistance
• your company will listen, take note and make changes which will only benefit your bottom line and reputation and your customers and consumers in that they receive better services and products.

One of the objections I consistently hear from companies who are considering starting a business blog is the amount of time that they think that blogging will take - and to some extent they are correct. Yes to write an engaging and useful blog post or article takes time not only in writing but also research time for cntent and relvant links and resources to add to the article.

What many business leaders fail to recognise is that if a blogger takes the time to write a review about your business, they have invested time in word of mouth marketing of your business.

Many organisations invest in extensive customer surveys. Some organisations even look to assess their Net Promoter score.

And many more organisations do nothing. They don't seek feedback from their customers and clients and wonder why they do not get repeat business or referrals.

Yes, asking for feedback can be challenging and it's likely that we will hear things about our business, our people or even our products and services that we don't want to hear.

So here is my proposition - business leaders should appreciate bloggers.

Take for example the case of Deborah Hadley, an experienced private caterer who on her blog writes restaurant reviews.

She pays for the meals herself and if any part of a meal is received gratis or if she has any connection to the chef or other staff, she fully discloses this.

Deborah publishes her reviews on her blog and at the online review site, LouderVoice. She states on her blog:

My reviews reflect my honest opinion of the experience in question. Should you have any questions about a particular review, or if you are connected with the restaurant in question, please feel free to contact me. If you are concerned about a negative review, please note I am always open to an invitation to give it a second chance, at which point I would alter my review, if necessary. However you should be open to the fact that my opinion might not change. You are always welcome to comment on the review in question, which will become a part of the review and be read by anyone who comes across it.

Deborah's opinion is actively sought out - for example she receives questions from others on Twitter about her recommendations about restaurants across Ireland. She has become a trusted source - like asking a friend where to go to for dinner or where to take the children to entertain them on a wet Dublin afternoon.

So if you were a restaurant owner and found that you received a poor review on Deborah's blog, Tast.ie, what would you do?

Absolutely you could follow Deborah's guidelines and post a comment on her blog or invite her back to your restaurant.

But would you welcome and act on the feedback?

All too often, customers are not often prepared to voice their complaints in shops, hotels or restaurants.

And they have also come to realise that if they do complete a comments card it's likely no action will be taken and they certainly won't receive a follow up letter or phone call. I know that from personal experience having left an extensive review at a famous Irish hotel, Ashford Castle where I received poor customer service and some 90 days later I still have not had a note of acknowledgement from the hotel general manager or customer service representative.

Contrast that to the visit I made to a Dublin based endodontist who called me 24 hours after receiving treatment to check I was OK and had no problems.

When customers receive poor service, they often go home begrudging the money they spent in your shop, restaurant or hotel and then share their experience with their friends advising them not to visit the hotel or restaurant.

Conversations like this happen all the time - it's called negative word of mouth marketing as your customers are far from your brand champions.

The blogosphere, online communities and social network sites now allow those same conversations to take place online - in other words 'word of mouse marketing'.

So if you received a poor review from a blogger, it's an opportunity to learn more about the experience your customer, consumer or even patient received and then you can take action. You didn't even have the expense of implementing a customer survey.

Savvy businesses are monitoring the blogsphere and the web for comments and conversations about the services their customers and consumers have experienced. There are even organisations who now have dedicated resources within their customer service team to monitor the conversation online and respond directly to solve the issues.

So here's my final thought for business leaders, marketing managers, and PR firms in Ireland - don't fear Irish bloggers. Get to know them.

Monitor what they are saying online about you, your company, your people, your products and your brand.

Evaluate the feedback and then decide what action you can take that will ensure that you create a WOW customer experience.

You can be sure that if you do that, you'll enjoy not only positive word of mouth but also positive 'word of mouse' marketing results.

And if you get a great review from a blogger - nurture that relationship well. They may be influential within their community and remember that when people complete an online reference check in Google about your company, service or product, an endorsement from a raving fan or brand ambassador is far more effective than a banner ad in changing the behaviour of potential clients, customers and patients.

What concerns do you have about connecting with bloggers?

What positive results have you enjoyed from bloggers writing positive reviews about your products, services or people?

Article by Krishna De and courtesy of Biz Growth News blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 23, 2008 at 1:16 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

We already know social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are all the rage. Professional networking sites like LinkedIn are rapidly catching on as tools to help students find internships and recent college graduates find entry-level jobs by providing a venue where they can connect with professionals in their industry, in addition to classmates, colleagues and friends.

Mark Stevens, founder and CEO of MSCO, has taken the idea of professional networking one step further with Mark Stevens World. Stevens' "mentorums" are for business professionals in the sales, management and marketing arenas, though I imagine all business professionals are welcome to join.

Recently, I asked Stevens a few questions about Mark Stevens World in an effort to help others understand just what it's all about:

CR: How does Mark Stevens World compare to a site like LinkedIn?

Stevens: Mark Stevens World is much more than a networking site. It is a forum for sharing the most powerful force in the world: ideas. And Mark Stevens and the members of our community can tap into a wealth of free information sources, from blogs to podcasts. It is a real world university posing as a social networking site.

CR: What do you hope to achieve by providing professionals with an industry-focused venue for networking?

Stevens: I more than hope, I know, thanks to member feedback, that we help people grow and succeed. Being a catalyst for that growth is immensely rewarding.

CR: How long has your mentorum community existed, and how would you rate its success?

Stevens: We launched the Mentorum in December 2007 and it has been a runaway success, with people the world over telling us it enriches their careers and their lives in general.

One of the many features of MSCO is the list of favorite forum topics. The number one topic, "When did you last click on an Internet ad?" intrigued me so I asked Stevens why he chose that particular topic.

"Because billions of dollars are being directed to Internet advertising on the 'faith' that it works," he replied. "At MSCO, at Mark Stevens World, we like to challenge conventional wisdom to divine truth."

Social and professional networking sites are pretty much here to stay. Mark Stevens World is just the logical next step in their progression.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 23, 2008 at 11:08 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Visible tattoos, once considered a serious flaw in the job interview, no longer seem to predict job search failure. With the success of TV reality shows like Miami Ink and LA Ink, college students are more inked and more colorful than ever. Pew Research in 2006 showed that 36% of 18 to 25 year-olds and 40% of those aged 26 to 40, have at least one tattoo. Earlier in 2000, the National Geographic News stated that 15% of Americans were tattooed.

In a 2006 survey of employer perceptions conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), hiring managers were asked to state the amount of influence that certain factors had on their hiring decisions. The results may be surprising to many career professionals who have urged job seekers to err on the side of being conservative and hide those tattoos.

The NACE survey results showed that only 29% of employers stated that obvious tattoos strongly influenced them while 71% said it had slight to no influence on their hiring decisions. A cautionary note - taken by itself, that does not mean that employers look favorably on tattoos in the job interview.

Add that, however, to what John A. Challenger, of renowned global outplacement firm, Challenger, Gray and Christmas stated in a 2007 interview with the Boston Globe. "A decade ago, showing off tattoos and body piercings would be a sure-fire way to get your resume placed in the 'No Way!' pile. Times have changed."

Challenger shared that hiring managers were more concerned about baggy-underwear-revealing-pants and cell phones in the job interview then they were about tattoos.

While the trends have indicated greater tolerance for tattoos in the job interview, jobseekers should keep in mind that HR managers making hiring decisions have their own personal biases. A January 2008 Harris Interactive poll surveying more than 2000 adults found that 32% of people without tattoos believed that individuals with tattoos were more likely to do something deviant.

Additionally, more than half believed that a person with a tattoo is more rebellious. Hiring mangers conducting the job interview, although trying to remain objective, might still tend towards their personal opinions and dismiss your candidacy for the job.

New college grads should err on the side of conservatism and cover up those tattoos. There will be plenty of time to show them off later. For now the goal is to get the job offer and get the proverbial foot-in-the-door.

By: Article by Marcia Robinson and courtesy of BullsEyeResumes College Blogs. Robinson has been coaching, training, and writing on career, workplace, employment and education issues for students and career professionals for 10 years.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Posted by Lisa Colbert, CollegeRecruiter.com on June 23, 2008 at 9:55 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

As you read this, Millennials (Gen Y) are being actively recruited prior to, and upon, college graduation. Many are already busy navigating the waters of their first professional job since being hired a year or so ago. But why is this new generation the new darlings of the workforce? And how can you successfully attract and recruit this sought after group of young talent? Keep reading!

Let me start by saying that companies, of all sizes, are spending record-breaking amounts of money on recruiting the Millennials. Companies like Deloitte, Toyota, IBM and other brands you know are taking this very seriously, so this isn't just me saying they are a big deal to the future of our professional workforce; companies all over the U.S. and abroad are starting to see it, too.

But why has this new generation of young professionals turned into such a hot commodity? One key factor is the looming reality of the Boomer Brain Drain that companies across the country are going to feel over the next 5-15 years (starting now as the oldest Boomers hit retirement age). Here's one simple statistic from the Office of Employment Projections that will quickly put this into perspective: The average large company in the U.S. will lose 30-40% of its workforce due to retirement over the next 5-10 years. Ouch.

But wait! There's more. According to the Employment Policy Foundation, based on the current population growth trend that is occurring in the U.S., we could be facing a labor shortage of educated and skilled workers of over 35 million people in the next 3 decades! This is a big deal and critical to our country's ability to maintain our current level of productivity and competitiveness worldwide.

And we have as many GenXers on the planet as there are going to be, so the replacements for this massive Boomer exodus are the Millennials. That is why M.B.A. students are being offered amazing employment packages, starting salaries are being jacked-up higher than ever, and impressive signing bonuses are being offered. Many of the top young college grads are being pursued and courted like top college draft picks entering the NBA. Basically, recruiting and retaining them has turned into a big, competitive business.

Now that you have a general idea of why companies are clamoring to hire them, I thought it would be a good idea to share 5 key attraction and recruitment tips that your organization may want to consider.

Effective Attraction & Recruitment Tips:

1. Go Where They Are: Running ads on Craig's List or Monster.com aren't enough. This generation has grown-up experiencing life online and congregate on places like MySpace, FaceBook, YouTube and Second Life. You should consider having a company presence in these communities to attract Millennials to your brand and make them aware of you. You can interview/videotape employees about how great it is to work at your company and post it on YouTube. Deloitte has done an amazing job posting fun videos on YouTube to attract Millennial talent, so check out their posts for ideas. Make them funny and/or interesting and you'll get viewers. And it's basically free and easy to do!



2. Preach Work-Life Balance: This generation is showing up totally aware of work-life balance. They value time with family and friends, and they value their time doing things they enjoy. Boomers and Gen X employees typically didn't ask for flextime until they had been in the workforce for 15+ years. Millennials are showing up and requesting it from Day One. And, the smart companies are offering it.



3. Invite the Folks: As a whole, this generation considers their parents part of their social circle. They admire their parents, they like their parents, and they respect their opinion. Perhaps you've heard the new term "Helicopter Parents". It means that even when their kids go off to college (or work!) they don't stop hovering over them and guiding them (a lot!). Believe it or not, recruiters are now finding themselves taking a top candidate to lunch for a schmooze fest and he/she brings their parents. Recruiters are realizing that convincing the parents it's the best job for their daughter, Sally, is as important as convincing Sally. Well-known companies are even creating "Parent Days" where job candidates can bring their parents to tour the company's work environment, meet their potential managers, etc.



4. Preach Mentoring: These young adults want to know you will provide them with plenty of guidance and mentoring! If you don't have a mentor program in-place, create one and emphasize it during the interview process. I recently conducted a seminar with a well-known company about recruiting and retaining Millennials, and they had been suffering from a high turnover of Millennials. When I spoke to the Millennials who had left, all of them mentioned the company hadn't provided enough mentoring and training programs.



5. Emphasize They Will Get Plenty of Face Time With Managers: A recent survey of Millennial professionals, conducted by Robert Half International and Yahoo! Hot Jobs, found that 60% of Millennials want to hear from their managers at least once a day. This generation will not do well with just one weekly "check in" session with their managers. They want feedback daily and an opportunity to communicate with their manager(s) for input on their projects.

So are the rumors you've heard about them being high maintenance true? Yes. But, they will also be high performing. Our country (and world!) has just begun to feel their impact as they reach their mid-20s. And, as with generations in the past, this generation will create new definitions for: Work environments, success, leadership, communication, management, entrepreneurship, corporate culture, and professional relationships. The successful companies will adjust (and are!) their corporate cultures and recruitment and retention strategies to appeal to this unique generation.

For more free tips on recruiting, managing and retaining Millennial Talent, and for info on improving generation relations in the workforce, be sure to visit: http://blog.generationrelations.com/

By: Lisa Orrell, the author of "Millennials Incorporated" & Generation Relations Expert. Lisa Orrell is an in-demand expert about recruiting, managing and retaining our new generation of young professionals. http://www.TheOrrellGroup.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Posted by Lisa Colbert, CollegeRecruiter.com on June 23, 2008 at 9:00 AM | Leave a Comment (1)

Survey: CFOs Cite Heavy Workloads as Greatest Workplace Concern

Today's accounting and finance professionals are used to having a lot on their plates, but a new survey shows that growing to-do lists could be taking their toll. More than one in three (35 percent) chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed cited heavy workloads as the number-one workplace concern for their financial teams. Job security ranked second with 19 percent of the response.

The survey was developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals, and conducted by an independent research firm. It was based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CFOs across the United States.

Executives were asked, "Which one of the following do you think is the greatest source of work-related concerns for finance and accounting professionals?" Their responses:

"The combination of compliance mandates, traditional projects and shifting priorities has challenged accounting and finance professionals to keep up with their growing workloads," said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International and author of Human Resources Kit For Dummies®, 2nd Edition (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). "The problem is further compounded by a shortage of highly skilled candidates in many specialties."

Messmer continued, "Managers should closely monitor employees' workloads to right any imbalances and maximize the productivity of the entire group. This might include realigning responsibilities, reprioritizing assignments and bringing in temporary support during peak activity periods."

Article courtesy of Accountemps with more than 360 offices worldwide and offers online job search services

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 20, 2008 at 2:48 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Whether it is the 360 degree feedback to the employees or the managers or the personal one-on-one performance appraisal, it is time to revisit your goals and perform a detailed work analysis at the middle of the year. If you are working towards a bonus, salary raise or just being in the "not-in-the-layoff" list, continuous self-development and keeping track of your performance is the key to success and ensures that no surprises jump on you at the time of the year-end appraisal.

It is also the time to familiarize yourself on any new changes to the appraisal forms or just to look around if the goals are still consistent with your present work. Also look up if your manager has added any comments in the last few months to your review.
Keeping track of employee talent management on a regular basis ensures good performance and better retention rate for employers. Good managers ensure placing the right people at the right position and keeping track of employee talent and performance enables companies to perform better.

The point is that - Do not wait for the year-end review as the main measure of your performance, it needs to be done regularly. Analyze yourself on such points:

• How much and what steps have you taken to develop your skills in the first half of the year?


• How have you contributed towards increased productivity of your group or project?


• Have you analyzed your (or your groups) training needs?


• How have you become a better worker?


• Where are you on the defined goals for the year?

And of course other topics that are relevant to your job. A detailed analysis and documenting your accomplishments will keep you on track and gives you the opportunity to present yourself as a diligent and committed employee.

Also remember that it is an employee's responsibility to be proactive and keep track of their own performance management, the management provides the tools. Also read some tips here on how to give effective performance reviews to employees.

In the next post I shall discuss how one company is presenting and improving upon an effective employee appraisal and talent management system.

Article by Shweta L. Khare, founder and president of Careerbright and Speakbright and courtesy of Careerbright blogspot

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 20, 2008 at 12:17 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Earlier this week I was described as a social media evangelist - in other words someone who sets out to 'convert' people to social media and being a passionate supporter of social media.

That was a great accolade. I do know however that social media is not the solution to every business issue and challenge and nor is every business ready to adopt social media.

However for those organisations who are visionary and want to embrace social media platforms as part of their communications and marketing plans - be that for internal communications or external communications - I can definitely point you in the right direction of best practice case studies and provide you with a frame work of how to get started.

On a recent Podcast Sisters podcast we specifically looked at how social media strategies and tools can help companies ride the recession. You can download the podcast about social media to ride the recession or listen to it here.

What thoughts do you have or experiences you can share of using social media as a low cost way of building your brand, attracting more clients, delivering services to your clients or reducing your overheads? You can leave your comments here or you can post your thoughts to our Friend Feed Room.

Read a recent article about the importance of employee engagement through a period of recession as a critical element of your talent management strategy

Article by Krishna De and courtesy of Biz Growth News blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 20, 2008 at 10:51 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

As detailed in a new study by Yankelovich in association with Sequent Partners, traditional media delivers a significantly more positive impression on consumers than digital media. The study, entitled "When Advertising Works" was released yesterday and tested people's reactions to various advertisements across 16 media channels. The traditional media, which included TV, billboards, magazines, newspapers, radio, and movie theater ads, generated a positive response from 56% of the survey respondents as compared to only 31% from digital media. 13% of survey respondents reported a negative reaction to the traditional media versus a 21% negative response to the digital media ads. As to the reasons behind the findings, J. Walker Smith, president at the Yankelovich Monitor division of Yankelovich in Atlanta explained,

"A principal reason for those results was that for ads that made an impression, consumers using traditional media were in a more positive mood and more likely to be interested in entertainment and relaxation. By comparison, consumers using digital media were more likely to be in busy moods, seeking control or solving a problem and they were more likely to be by themselves. In contrast, traditional media are often watched, listened to or read by people in groups."

Smith further explained that consumers are not as accustomed to seeing ads in digital media and may not be as receptive yet to those advertisements. Whatever the reasons for the findings, the study should serve as a shot in the arm to everyone who naively lumps all traditional media together and/or dismisses the value that those media channels still deliver.

As the New York Times story reported, Smith is a strong advocate of multi-faceted marketing campaigns that take a multichannel, multimedia approach. He recommends that the best strategy for marketers is to combine both digital and traditional media, leveraging the best aspects and attributes of each.

I couldn't agree more.

Article by Toby Dayton and courtesy of Diggings, a blog about recruitment advertising, media, publishing, HR, work, & technology, among other things.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 20, 2008 at 10:44 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Accurate Background Inc., a specialist in the background screening industry, announces the completion of its Taleo 7.5 certification for their comprehensive web based solution. Certification of the current version of Taleo offers clients of Accurate Background and Taleo a pre-built solution which facilitates a quicker implementation process. In addition to Accurate Background's existing Taleo integrations, the 7.5 certification allows clients access to advanced navigation tools. "Accurate Background prides itself on offering a custom tailored solution developed with each client's specific requirements in mind. The integration solution eliminates redundancy offering a more efficient recruiter and applicant experience," states executive vice president of Accurate Background, Catherine Aldrich. For the second year in a row, Accurate Background has ranked on Deloitte's 2007's Technology Fast 500.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 20, 2008 at 10:34 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

In an effort to address the increasing demands for quality talent, Stringer Executive Search, specialists in executive search services and non-traditional executive search solutions for the emerging industry sector, announce the expansion of its services to include Talent Officer searches. "Talent is the most important asset for business today," says Hank Stringer, CEO of Stringer Executive Search. "Changing demographics, technology and global competition requires executive talent leadership steeped in technology, marketing, sales, operations, and results." And as the competition for talent continues to escalate, more companies are adding Talent Officer and Chief Talent Officer positions to improve their recruiting and retention. "The need for an all-around executive talent leader who can strategically and successfully attract, retain and nurture a company's talent community is becoming increasingly more common, and critical to success. As Stringer Executive Search continues to grow, it is an additional practice area our clients need," Stringer adds. Case in point: On a single day recently, there were more than 2,400 searches for a Talent Officer on monster.com -- that number even excludes filled positions and job vacancies on other job boards.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 20, 2008 at 10:31 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Provider of healthcare staffing services, Expedient Medstaff, announces being selected by a large state hospital association to provide nurse staffing services to over 180 hospitals in a seven state region in the Southeast United States. "Population growth in the Sunbelt region has created many unfilled nursing jobs and hospitals are turning to travel nurses to ease their internal staff shortages. Expedient Medstaff is excited to open this relationship and we are well positioned to provide travel nurses to aide these hospitals," claims Expedient Medstaff CEO, Mike Emery. Under the terms of this award, Expedient Medstaff will provide travel nurses to the hospitals of this 7 state region for a one-year term with the option to renew at the end of the term. While Expedient Medstaff believes this is an excellent opportunity for their travel nurses they also note that they are very confident about supplying high-caliber nurses to hospitals so desperately in need.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 20, 2008 at 10:27 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

In Part One of the series, Les Rosen discussed how statistics from various surveys, news articles, and anecdotal evidence confirm that there is an increased use of social networking sites to screen candidates.

No court cases of record... yet
At this point in the evolution of social networking, there are no published cases yet on point. Lawsuits take time to work their way through the courts until an appellate court is finally called upon to issue an opinion. However, it is all but certain that some day an employer will land in court being sued on allegations of discrimination or a violation of privacy for making use of a social networking site in the hiring process.

One reason that the use of social networking sites presents a risk stems from their original purpose. In the beginning, users intended to limit access to friends or members of their own network, arguably creating a reasonable expectation of privacy. It's like a "cyber high school," but instead of seeing your friends near your locker, you can see friends and make contacts all over the world. Younger workers in particular may well regard invading their social network sites in the same way older worker may regard someone that crashes a private dinner party uninvited - a tasteless act that violates privacy.

The conventional wisdom, however, is that anything online is fair game because any reasonable person must understand that the whole world has access to the Internet.

When analyzing the privacy issues, an employer may want to take the "Las Vegas test." Assume you are at a business meeting in Las Vegas, and at the end of the day you adjourn with professional colleagues to a cocktail lounge in the hotel lobby. Several drinks later, you engage in a very frank exchange about your employer or co-workers. You may be indiscrete or even act a little silly. How would you feel if a colleague took photos with a cell phone and sent them to everyone you knew, along with some of your more interesting comments? Technically, you were "in public" - in a public cocktail lounge. True, but most people would still call it an invasion of privacy. This is based on an objective belief founded on broadly based and widely accepted community norms that what goes on in a private conversation should not be seen by the entire world, even if it occurred in a public venue where anyone could have seen or heard.

For many young workers today, social networking sites are the equivalent of that Las Vegas cocktail lounge!

Even though they communicate and share photos in a forum that can be public, there is sense that what goes on in MySpace or Facebook stays there and should stay there. This argument is buttressed by the fact that in order to enter some social networking sites, a user must agree to "terms of use" and to get details of another site member, the new user must set up their own account. Additionally, these types of websites have "terms of use" typically do not allow "commercial" uses, which can include screening candidates. Since a user must jump through some hoops, it can be argued that there is an expectation that the whole world won't be privy to confidential information.

On the other hand, a recruiter can argue that the routine "terms of use language" where someone simply hits the "I agree" button is not much of a privacy barrier. In addition, if an applicant fails to utilize the privacy controls provided by the website, it would undercut any reasonable belief that what was on the website would remain confidential.

This issue is far from being settled
The bottom line is that the question of whether an applicant has a reasonable expectation of privacy can depend upon the specific facts of the case being litigated, and the issue is far from settled. Frankly, it could be decided either way.

That is why recruiters should not simply assume that anything on the web is fair game.

One area where an employer or recruiter would be flirting with particular trouble is if information from Facebook or MySpace is obtained by manipulating the sites. This could be done by creating multiple identities or by using "pretexting," which can include pretending to be someone else or something you are not. For example, Facebook allows greater access into sites within your own network. If a recruiter were to violate Facebook rules and create fake identities just to join a network belonging to an applicant, that would likely cross over into the realm of employer behavior that is overly intrusive and invades too deeply into private matters.

Off-duty conduct is another tricky area. Some states have prohibitions limiting use of private behavior for employment decisions. However, employers do have broader discretion if such behavior would damage a company, hurt business interests, or be inconsistent with business needs

Is it discrimination?
Discrimination can also become a substantial issue. A candidate may say or depict all sorts of things that reflect race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, medical condition, disability (including AIDS), marital status, sex (including pregnancy), sexual preference, age (40+), or other facts an employer may not consider under federal law or state law.

This can give rise to the problem of "Too Much Information," also popularly referred to as "TMI." The employer's own search of these sites can make an employer knowledgeable of factors that should NOT be considered for employment purposes. The issue then becomes: "How do you unring the bell?" How do you prove that you didn't use the information you found as part of your hiring decision?

A related issue is whether a firm is treating all applicants in a similar fashion. If recruiters or human resource staffers are performing internet searches on a hit or miss basis, with no written policy or standard approach, an applicant that is subject to adverse action as a result of such a search can potentially claim to be a victim of discrimination.

Also problematic is that on social network sites, a recruiter may view photos, personal data, discussion of personal issues and political beliefs, behavior at parties, and other information that an applicant may not have intended for the world to see. Employers may have to consider whether what a person says on their site is true, and if true, whether it would be a valid predictor of job performance - if fact, whether it would be employment related at all. After all, people have been known to exaggerate or make things up. They may believe they are just having fun or spoofing their friends.

Or if a site shows, for example, that an applicant has a tattoo or a piercing, what then? Employers may need to ask themselves whether having a tattoo is really a good reason not to hire someone.

Employers that hire younger workers may need to come to grips with new generational differences.

One rule to remember: If a website is searched by a background screening firm on behalf of an employer, then consent and certain disclosures is mandated under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Follow this series of articles to examine why such an apparently easy to use and readily available tool has its dangers and drawbacks. Part I appeared on Recruiting Trends in May, and Part III will appear next month.

Article by Lester Rosen and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 20, 2008 at 7:38 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

"The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated," said The Resume.

The article "The Death of the Resume" makes the same claim as the recent white paper "Can We Finally Retire the Resume?" available through ZoomInfo and written by Allan Schweyer of the Human Capital Institute:

"...there is no longer any reason for employers to rely on resumes, and yet the vast majority still do. Resumes are unstructured, difficult to search & compare, expensive to handle and frustrating to store and retrieve... The better approach [to recruiting] is to... require all applicants (external and internal) to submit their applications using e-profiles."

"I haven't retired," cried The Resume. "I'm working but I'm under-employed and unappreciated."

No doubt each Resume is a creative document, unique as its author. But is a standardized, restrictive e-profile really better for recruiting? Ask any Employer if they are buying a commodity, or a person with unique talents, attributes, and problem-solving (creative) qualities. How many times have you spotted something on someone's resume that wasn't identified in your job description or qualifying questions that made you want to interview the person? Wouldn't a resume give you a better feel for someone's suitability (soft skills) than cryptic answers to knock out questions?

Then consider how much time people actually have to fill out detailed online profiles. The same aforementioned white paper said that profiles should take less than 15 minutes to complete. "Amen, brother," cried the applicant. Most profiles today take more than thirty minutes. The result: they're abandoned. So ask yourself: "How much money did I pay through job postings and other marketing means to attract candidates only to fail to get their applications?"

BOOM! VROOM! VROOM! That's the sound of the Baby Boomers driving to their retirement homes in Florida. Seventy-six (76) million baby boomers expect to retire in the next four to five years, to be replaced by only 46 million Gen Xers (US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics). The shrinking labor pool means tougher talent wars. It must be easy to capture applicants if you want to compete. A lengthy profile process is not the way to do this.

"So how do I capture The Resume in a fast and useful way?" you ask...

Allan Schweyer will tell you in that same white paper that suggested The Resume's retirement:

"...allow applicants to upload their standard resume and have it parsed into the appropriate fields of the profile (inexpensive technology is available to do this)."

In addition to saving you 99% of the cost of manual data entry, resume parsing technology will give you structured data - the stuff you need for accurate searching according to Allan Schweyer:

"Today's powerful searching and ranking technology can improve screening efficiency and accuracy tremendously, for the greatest gains though, structured data is required."

"So am I alive, retired or dead?" asked The Resume.

"Well," said the recruiter "you're talking to me aren't you?"

By: Andrew Stock of HireAbility Connects the World's Recruiters and Parses the World's Resumes

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Posted by Lisa Colbert, CollegeRecruiter.com on June 19, 2008 at 4:30 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The prevailing market wisdom is that the best candidates will go to the big companies and the smaller (SMEs, start-ups, trading companies, privately held firms) companies are left with what is left. This is not always the case and it can make a huge difference in the long run for your firm to get the best people now.

We placed a candidate today in a small start-up here in Shanghai. She was being courted by some of the biggest brands in the business. She had the skills to pay the bills and is in the highly competitive luxury retail market.

Did they close her with a huge offer? Was it the generous stock options? How did they do it?

The answer was a combination of great interviewing, a fair offer that was structured well, and speed, and stretch.

Great Interviewing

My client understood that they needed to move the process along quickly in order to make the placement happen and they took the time to find out about the candidate and make sure she met the right people in the right order and was able to have the right conversations. They sold the candidate on their vision while they found out about hers. If this sounds like your process you are well above average. If this sounds like touchy feely new age, candidate coddling mumbo jumbo then move to the back of the line. In this market it is important to treat the candidates like guests and make sure that they can see their place in your company. If you are in a big company and have the power of the brand behind you you will still find this approach helpful in those cases (and they are growing) where you can't seem to find anyone to do the job.

A Fair Offer

The client took the time and had the flexibility to structure an offer that included options, a fair base salary with a housing component (so the candidate can save taxes and increase take home pay) and a healthy bonus based on performance. They did not have to "throw money" at the candidate or enter a bidding war. The candidate appreciated their flexibility and was able to see that they wanted her onboard. The end result was a market salary that did not break the bank, though it was a bit higher than the client wanted to pay and a bit lower than the candidate wanted in the beginning. A true compromise.

Speed

The client had the ability to learn from past mistakes and made the effort necessary to get the managers together to meet the candidate and were able to finish their internal interviewing and evaluation in less than two weeks. If you want to get great passive candidates on board you need to move. Not too fast, NOT TOO SLOW, just keep it moving. There were other offers and a promotion on the way and my client acted quickly in order to close the candidate. The best way to avoid a bidding war and a long negotiation is to move the process along and offer a candidate in a period of time that does not allow for other opportunities to crop up.

Stretch

Great candidates want great jobs and in this case the candidate wanted more responsibility in a specific professional area and because the client is flexible and able to make adjustments to the org chart and add responsibilities to make the job more attractive. In the business we call this stretch. My parents would call it common sense. This can be a real issue with large companies and can make the difference when recruiting top passive candidates. Many small companies take advantage of their flexibility to tweak responsibilities and give the candidates the stretch they need to grow their careers. Most top candidates realize this stretch in responsibility can be as valuable in the long run as a big company name on their resume and it is the wise small company that capitalizes on this.

So What?

It is a great thing to see a small company recruit in such a way as to beat out the much larger competition and get the candidate they need to help grow their company. Recruiting is not a art and focusing on the process and the policies you have in place can make the difference between getting the candidates you need and asking for more resumes.

By: Brian Fenerty, http://blog.recruitinginchina.com.cn

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Posted by Lisa Colbert, CollegeRecruiter.com on June 19, 2008 at 4:10 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

One of projects I train staffing firms on is the use of the internet to draw in qualified candidates for free. As a part of a pilot program, I'm working with a company out of Minnesota called Iris Consulting. They are Tier One Vendors for Express Scripts in Maryland Heights, and they've been very successful with their hiring methods.

The Iris Consulting philosophy is simple. They have a single fixed rate they charge on top of a contractor's salary, which enables them to place contractors at client companies at higher salaries than most competitors. In other words, if you want to work at a client company as a contractor, you go to Iris, and they'll get you a better salary then if you worked through another firm.

The second piece of the puzzle is they only hire quality contractors. They don't have the pressures of a public firm, or even that of account managers and recruiters who need to pay their own salaries, which means they don't just grab resumes and shuffle them off to a client. If you're a good fit, they'll work with you to get you the job. They'll also introduce you to other high quality contractors that help you build a strong social network for future placement.

StlRecruiting remains my blog. They will have no input into content, and we are not being paid to talk about them. Instead, I'll be working as a sourcer for them, identifying key talent in the St Louis Marketplace and helping them establish a web presence for that recruiting. To do that, I'll be posting their jobs and filtering resumes If you want to work in a contract position in the mail order pharmacy business, Iris's position as a Tier One Vendor means they get the jobs first, and their salary structure lets you make more.

As I said, this is a pilot project. I'm speaking with several firms in town (and out), about ways to use blogs to hire local candidates. I'll be reporting on our success (or failure), as it occurs.

Article by Jim Durbin and courtesy of StlRecruiting.com

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 19, 2008 at 12:01 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Guest Blogger

For the last week and a half, I have been working with Sodexo as part of their Future Leaders Internship Program. When I was assigned to work with the Sodexo Foundation, I knew their mission was to eradicate hunger. I knew this in the abstract--but last evening, during the Annual Sodexo Foundation Dinner, I got a real live perspective of the many dimensions of poverty in our country, and how much we can all do to make difference. In times where people are making the choice between filling up their gas tank or putting food on the table, it seems like an ever more daunting effort to fight poverty and hunger. Last night, it became evident that much can be done, and that Sodexo is committed to being a part of the solution.

The evening began with a moment of silence for the 35 million people in the United States who, unlike us, would not be having a fine, three-course meal. At the dinner, I learned so much about the many contributions that Sodexo employees, their families and their communities make every day. For example, I learned that during the month of April, when Sodexo holds its annual Servathon, we served 100 tons of food to 33,000 people nationally. I saw video clips of familiar faces making a difference through their service.

At the dinner, Sodexo provided scholarships to five youth who had demonstrated outstanding service to fight hunger in their communities. These award recipients ranged in age from 9 years old all the way through a junior in college, underscoring for me that you do not need to be a big company like Sodexo to make a difference--each one of us can help in our own way. In particular, I was so moved by the story of Hannah Yoxall, a nine year old child from China who received a scholarship for her tireless efforts to raise donations to food banks by kids from her school and the community. While most 9 year olds are on the couch playing the Wii, Hannah has been instilled with the drive to eliminate hunger since she was 5 years old, having been an orphan in China, with first hand experience of hunger.

It is heartbreaking to know that there is so much hunger, poverty and suffering, but it also made me feel optimistic that if people gain awareness at such a young age, there is a potential to make real change. I feel proud to be with a company with such a commitment and passion. Many companies have slogans that live only on paper.

Sodexo's is to Make Every Day a Better Day--and it is clear to me that this is the core of the company, not just a slogan.

Courtesy of Sodexo Careers Blog Making every day a better day.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 19, 2008 at 11:51 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Guest post by Dan Schawbel introduces "e-branding" concept and offers some suggestions for successfully e-branding yourself.

Since the start of the internet, the term eBranding was present, but overlooked. Commercial use of the Internet used to be all about companies building websites to promote products.

Then eCommerce websites were unearthed as a gateway for people to actually purchase products online and have them shipped.

At first, people didn't realize they could actually promote and sell themselves online through this very same medium. Over the last five years or so, this has changed -- a lot.

eBranding is everything on the internet that represents you.

You actually get to decide how people view you online. Your eBrand can be limited to a single blog or website or it can be spread thin among several social networks, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

The total sum of all your presences online is your eBrand. The more you give people to see, the more you will judged on.

Soon everyone will be expected to have their own eBrand. The cost of building one is minimal to free, and the rewards are tremendous.

So, who are you?

Before considering various e-branding strategies, you must think about who you are and what you stand for.

You need to stake out a niche, such that you are the best at something for a specific audience.

How do you describe yourself and how do others describe you?

I call this discovering your personal brand and it's a necessity before you go through the hassle of actually creating content.

Once you've thought about this, it's time to get started communicating your e-brand. You have many available online vehicles.

Blogging

Let's face it, if you want to have a successful career in the digital age, blogging is your ticket.

If you use wordpress.com you can start a free blog in seconds, and they just upgraded their systems to version 2.5, which has a better look and feel, as well as the ability to post video and sounds in a flash.

Your other options include Blogger.com, which is Google's blog platform (free as well), Typepad.com, or Wordpress.org. With Wordpress.org, you must host the blog on your own domain and server space, but you have more flexibility with design.

A blog allows you to deliver value to your niche. Over time, that value translates into new business or professional contacts.

Commenting

You don't have to have a blog to participate in the blogosphere.

Commenting is an amazing way to show bloggers you care about their writing. When you comment, try and add something relevant to the discussion or direct readers to other sources.

If you have a blog, comments on other blogs will draw traffic and possibly subscribers to your blog.

Guest Posting

The bad news is that writing on your blog only is not enough anymore. To form stronger relationships and turn the "visibility switch" on for your eBrand, you need to write for other sources in your niche.

Many of the higher-visibility bloggers are quite open to posting good material provided by others. The visibility they have creates constant pressure to post new material. By proposing a guest post, you are helping them as well as yourself.

Off-Blog Networking

Sure, anyone can comment on a blog, but not many people take advantage of the contact information provided by the blogger.

Commenting is about continuing the conversation, whereas off-blog networking is about actually getting to know the author.

I'm not saying call the person, but at least connect through email if you have genuine interest in the person or their topic.

And if someone comments on your blog, send them a quick email thanking them for the comment and maybe adding a few follow-up thoughts just for them.

Byline Articles

Are you an expert? Well, it's time to start thinking like an expert.

Guest blogging will be rewarding, but it's not as strong for your brand as writing for traditional media sources.

By branding yourself on respected websites and having your articles link back to your eBrand, you are establishing credibility, while increasing traffic simultaneously.

Presence on Social Networks

Your eBrand needs to be where the people are.

Facebook has 63 million users, while LinkedIn has 20 million. Why not create your profile and link it to your blog or website?

When you join social networks, be sure to understand that it's all public. Don't post pictures of "drunken moments," but instead have a profile that expresses your brand in a professional, yet personal, light.

Domains

If you haven't purchased a domain to secure your eBrand, you will be at a huge disadvantage later in life.

For $6.95, you can probably buy yourname.com (or some variation) at GoDaddy.com.

The purpose of buying your domain is two-fold. First, dot-coms rank very high in search engines. Second, people remember names. By searching for you or typing in your name in the search bar, your eBrand will come up.

Article by George Lenard, the originator of George's Employment Blawg, has over twenty years of experience in all aspects of labor and employment law, including preventive law as well as litigation. His special interests include employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and noncompetition agreements. He is currently a managing partner with Harris, Dowell, Fisher & Harris, L.C., in St. Louis, Missouri, and lives in the suburb of University City with his wife and family.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 17, 2008 at 1:57 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

In a recent survey commissioned by Adecco USA, specialists in workforce solutions, working fathers and working mothers are noted as being on the same page when it comes to managing work/life balance. The Workplace Insights survey, reveals that not only do 71% of working moms and 64% of working dads agree that managing their family lives is more challenging than their careers, but that 55% of all working fathers think companies should do more to help them achieve a better work/life balance. This shift in priorities reflects the reality that today's dads are more equally sharing family responsibilities with moms. In fact, in a recent U.S. Census Bureau survey, this shift is confirmed with the number of stay at home dads increasing by almost 50% over the past decade. "The perception that the work/life balancing act is mainly a female struggle no longer holds up in today's workplace," says Rich Thompson, Vice President of Training & Development for Adecco Group North America. "As moms and dads continue to more equally share responsibilities both at home and at the office, employers need to be mindful of this and ensure that they offer work/life benefits that are inclusive of both groups. As a father, I can say firsthand that becoming a parent can enhance one's life in a variety of ways, and career is certainly one of them if you can find the right dose of work and family balance." According to the report, important qualities of working parents that transfer over to the workplace include: mastering the art of multitasking; strengthened relationship skills through negotiation, compassion and understanding; as well as being the biggest champions sponsoring access to work/life benefits for workers of all backgrounds, helping to keep a balance a top priority at corporations.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 17, 2008 at 1:54 PM | Leave a Comment (1)

In a time when employers are laying off employees amid a housing crunch and a recession, a Florida company has found a way to assist employees by relieving the gasoline price burden. Indeed, telecommunications company STS Telecom recently implemented a new employee perk that rolls back gasoline prices by two years. Since 2006, the average cost per gallon of gas has risen from approximately $2.00 to $4.00 per gallon. Through this new employee benefit, effective as of June 1, 2008, STS Telecom now reimburses employees the $2.00 difference per gallon increase for the miles driven on their daily commute to work each day. Initiated by STS Telecom's CEO Mark Amarant, the plan was designed to assist those employees who have helped the company grow into a $22 million dollar a year business. "Our employees have come through for us and in these challenging financial times, we needed to come through for them," says Amarant. Letters were sent out to full-time employees, thanking them for their contributions and loyalty and informing them of the gasoline rebate. "Today, we are all faced with higher costs everywhere we turn...in the grocery store and in the goods and services we use and purchase. The driving force behind all of these increases is the rising price of oil...every time we fill our gas tank, we all feel the pain at the pump. STS Telecom is also affected by these very same increases, and in a time when most companies are cutting costs and reducing expenses, STS has decided to increase many employee benefits," the memo reads. In addition to the gasoline rebate, STS Telecom has recently added life insurance plans at no cost to employees, a wider selection of health insurance plans to choose from, and tuition reimbursement for job-related courses. And in an effort to encourage employees to go green, STS will also contribute funds towards the down payment of any lease or purchase of a new model hybrid car.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 17, 2008 at 1:48 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The following press release was dated March, 2005. Clearly, the information bears repeating for every new group of internship and job seekers.

Typos or Grammatical Errors Most Common Resume Mistake, Survey Shows

Perhaps it's the rush to submit their resumes before other job candidates or too much focus on creating a visually appealing document. Whatever the reason, many job seekers are overlooking a critical step in the employment process -- ensuring their application materials are clean and blunder-free. Thirty-four percent of executives surveyed recently cited typos or grammatical errors as the most common resume mistake.

The national poll includes responses from 150 senior executives -- including those from human resources, finance and marketing departments -- with the nation's 1,000 largest companies. It was conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals.

Executives were asked, "In your opinion, which of the following is the single most common mistake job seekers make on their resumes?" Their responses:

Typos or grammatical errors		34%
Including too much information		22%
Not listing achievements in former roles		17%
Poor layout and/or design		17%
Including too little information		7%
Other/don't know		3%
		100%

"Even the most qualified applicant can undermine his or her chances of being invited to an interview by submitting a resume containing typos, misspellings or poor grammar," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Job Hunting For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). "Application materials should be polished and uncluttered. The objective is to create an accurate and succinct account of your qualifications, work experience, career accomplishments and education."

Messmer, who writes Resumania®, a weekly column for Scripps Howard News Service, offers the following suggestions for creating a winning resume:

• Tailor your resume to each opportunity. A one-size-fits-all approach tells employers you have not taken the time to research their company.
• Move from general to specific. Organize information in each section by beginning with a broader statement and following it with more detailed ones.
• Keep it short. Resumes require brief statements that do not have to be complete sentences. Use bullet points to emphasize important details.
• Avoid including personal information. What you cite should directly pertain to the opportunity and your career.
• Proofread your resume several times. Ask others to do so as well.
• Leave off references. Today's hiring managers assume you will provide these contacts. Remember to give your references a copy of your resume and advance notice that they may be called.

Article courtesy of Accountemps, with more than 330 offices throughout North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and offers online job search services.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 17, 2008 at 1:17 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

We're in some tough economic times right now, and that can make it that much harder to find a job. Although laboratory sales, medical device sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, molecular products sales, cellular products sales, and biotechnology products sales are much less susceptible to economic downturns than pharmaceutical sales, any person searching for a position in healthcare sales can have a hard time.

To help you out, Fortune magazine has 7 tips for job hunting in a tougher market. They include:

1. Request more face-to-face meetings. Get your face in front of recruiters and your network instead of relying on e-mails and phone calls. It will make more of an impression.
2. Step up your job-search activity. This makes sense. In many ways, a job search (like sales calls) is a numbers game. Increase your odds by increasing your activity.
3. Try to be as flexible as you can. Consider contract work, part-time work, or starting at a lesser salary than you were hoping for. It gets your foot in the door for other opportunities later. Besides, less money is better than no money, right?
4. Consider relocating. Top jobs aren't always where you are. I love the idea of relocating and expanding your horizons...trying something new.
5. Scour the hidden job market. Many jobs aren't advertised. Be proactive. Use your network. Or contact employers directly. They might appreciate your initiative.
6. Spend very little of your time on Internet job boards and help-wanted ads. Look, but don't focus. Everyone's looking here.
7. Take advantage of social networking sites. Personally, I love LinkedIn. But also, use MySpace or Facebook as part of your networking tactics. Just be careful to keep it professional.

One tip they missed: In tougher job markets, a medical sales recruiter is a gold mine of job opportunities and information.

Here are some more great tips to heat up your job search. One last great idea:

You never know when or where you may meet a prospective employer. Memory sticks, flash-drives, or email versions of your resume on your Blackberry, Treo or iPhone are must-haves in today's volatile employment market.

Good luck.

By: Peggy McKee, Owner/Recruiter, http://www.phcconsulting.com/

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Posted by Lisa Colbert, CollegeRecruiter.com on June 17, 2008 at 1:05 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The flip side to looking for a job is wondering if you're about to lose the one you have. Worried? Watch for these signs:

1. Your workload is reduced.
2. You start receiving memos about the company's "new direction."
3. Your company introduces technology that replaces humans.
4. Your company starts to close branches in the name of "consolidation."
5. Your company is sold to, or merges with, another company.
6. Your industry in general is starting to outsource.
7. Your industry is in the news and words like "cutbacks" and "downturn" are used.
8. Your company's stock is dropping in value.
9. Your boss asks if you'd consider a pay or benefit decrease.
10. Your boss doesn't like you and is not showing signs of changing.
11. Your mentor/boss-who-likes-you leaves the company.
12. Your boss is replaced by someone who is known for preferring a "hand-picked" team.
13. You aren't invited to important meetings.
14. Your boss "forgets" to give you info you need to do your job.
15. You aren't copied on important emails.
16. You've been getting negative employee reviews.
17. You are getting more written, and less oral, feedback on your performance.
18. You recently screwed up big time.
19. You're not getting the good assignments.
20. You are given all the grunt work.
21. You're being given goals that are impossible to achieve.
22. You're asked to work on a "special" project that has nothing to do with your skills or experience.
23. You are offered "retraining" or special "coaching."
24. Your workspace is moved to an undesirable location.
25. You don't fit in (your workstyle, or your values, don't mesh with the company's).
26. You're overlooked when it comes to deciding who gets to go to seminars or other training.
27. Your subordinates are being given some of your job responsibilities.
28. You haven't received a raise in a very long time.
29. You've been asked to take some time off.
30. You've seen a job posting that sounds an awful lot like your job.

By: Karen Burns of Working Girl

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Posted by Lisa Colbert, CollegeRecruiter.com on June 17, 2008 at 12:54 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

An interview by Phil Rosenberg

Today we go inside the head of Scott Green, Recruiting Manager for SNI Financial, focusing on mid to senior level full time accounting and finance positions. Scott has many years experience in search and staffing in accounting, finance, and specialty consulting.

Scott was kind enough to share his thoughts and experiences in the finance and accounting job market,

reCareered: Scott thanks for taking the time to share your views with our audience. With all the talk of a soft economy, how busy are you these days?
Scott Green: We're still seeing strength in the mid level accounting and finance areas. There's a shortage of candidates with 2-8 years of large company and public accounting experience for junior and senior staff positions, due to short supply and increased reporting needs.

reCareered: Any areas you see as especially hot?
Scott Green: The biggest needs today are in Tax and Cost Accounting. New government regulations have caused corporations to expand their work in these areas. We see Tax and Cost accounting being hot for a while. With the weaker dollar, pockets of manufacturing are expanding. Reduced supply of accountants entering the marketplace combined with companies need to reduce costs by replacing higher level accountants with less costly staffers, equates to a huge demand for Staff Accountants. I see these areas being hot for a while.

reCareered: What areas do you see as slow?
Scott Green: The generalist controller market and Senior accounting/finance manager is slowing. As companies further automate and streamline their financial systems, some work previously done by a controller may now be handled by managers or seniors with less experience (and less cost). In general, greater automation allows companies to push more work downstream, creating increased demand for managers, and high demands for senior staff.

reCareered: With the baby boom retiring, do you see companies increasing their willingness to train new employees, especially in specific software user skills?
Scott Green: Companies are getting stingy on training new employees on basic skills and software skills, because turnover has gotten so high. In addition, software becomes outdated so quickly, that employers are getting a lower ROI on training investments (except as a part of new systems roll out). So employers are looking to hire people with existing specific software skills, that can hit the ground running.

reCareered: What other things do today's employers look for in candidates?
Scott Green: As a rule, hiring managers look for subject matter experts - people with comparable industry experience, who have already solved similar challenges that their company faces today.

reCareered: Do you see an age bias in hiring managers, even with the large numbers of Baby Boomers retiring?
Scott Green: Especially for Senior Managers and Controllers, there's a challenge in securing a job where they are considered "overqualified". It's not fair, and it may not even make sense, but it's a reality with many hiring managers, regardless of their company's EEOC policies. I'd guess the fear of over qualification is driven by maybe 75% political concerns of a more experienced direct report, and 25% cost concern.

reCareered: So how do you recommend Controllers and Senior Managers react to the softness in their segment of the market?
Scott Green: Get started now, because it may take you longer to change jobs or find re-employment than you anticipate. Consider that you can provide a great deal of value for smaller companies (than your past employer) in similar industries.

reCareered: When evaluating a potential job offer, what do you recommend?
Scott Green: If you have a good boss, you'll have a good job. If you have a bad boss, you'll have a bad job. The best path to career success is finding a good mentor and leader. But people don't do a great job researching a boss' personality, willingness/ability to mentor, or talk to the boss' current direct reports.

reCareered: Any suggestions for people currently in the midst of a job search?
Scott Green: A "door opening" or "distinctive" resume is typically overlooked in the search process, but can make a huge difference in a candidates' success. I highly recommend that all candidates take a sales course (especially if not in sales) - Nearly all unemployed (and employed) workers in today's economy must learn selling/marketing fundamentals in order to promote themselves effectively which to increase their career options. Accounting managers are seeking candidates who can market the value of the accounting function within the corporation.

reCareered: Other than taking a sales course, what would you suggest to someone who's not looking for a job, due to uncertainty in todays' economy?
Scott Green: The economy's soft, and business is constantly changing. Both bring uncertainty to your current job. Carve out 1-3 hours each week for your own personal career development. This can include networking, investigating careers and companies, investing in yourself, training and reeducation in new skills.

Scott, thanks for your insight today. If mid level Accounting and Financial professionals are looking for a solid recruiter for Chicago area employers, email your resume to Scott Green at sgreen@snifinancial.com.

Article by Phil Rosenberg, President, reCareered & Rainmakers Global and courtesy of reCareered blog.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 17, 2008 at 8:54 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Benefits Top the List of Factors Considered When Considering Employment Opportunities

As the class of 2008 begins its post-collegiate journey into the workforce, the expectations these millennials have of their "ideal" employers and their view of the current job market are being heard thanks to a survey from leading financial services company, Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF).

The majority (51.5 percent) of the new graduates surveyed plan to begin looking for jobs and start their careers right away, while 31 percent plan to go immediately on to grad school. For the career minded, strong benefits packages top the employment wish list with two-thirds (66 percent) of recent college grads ranking comprehensive benefits packages (including, for example, healthcare, 401k program, childcare, and domestic partnership benefits) as the most important factor in their search for employment. Starting salary ranks a close second at 64 percent and job location rounded out the top three job considerations for the graduates surveyed with 60 percent saying it was it important. Today's graduates also want to be rewarded or compensated (for example, through comp time or matching donations) for their volunteer and philanthropic activities.

"Benefits and financial rewards have always been an important factor for job seekers. Our associates and new recruits have also told us that they want an intellectually challenging environment and really value work-life balance," said Matt Schuyler, Chief Human Resources Officer of Capital One. "At Capital One, we take a holistic view of life at work to create a productive and rewarding environment. We focus on providing our people with the right tools and technologies to allow them to work when and where it's most effective. It's what we call the Future of Work - an open and flexible environment that gives associates the freedom to balance their professional and personal lives."

Capital One's Future of Work program is designed to appeal to all generations of workers; from millennials to baby boomers. It integrates technology and an open-air office concept to provide a more flexible and efficient work environment. For example, college grads receive an iPod when they accept an offer to work with the company preloaded with books like The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell and How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, by Michael J. Gelb. This enables associates to learn remotely, conveniently and at their own pace, as compared to a more regimented classroom environment. The flexibility of Capital One's Future of Work environment also enables associate mobility through technology, including laptops, BlackBerry devices, instant messaging, and a voice-over Internet ("VoIP") phone system that allows users to activate their phone number at any workstation they select. Capital One believes that work is what you do, not where you do it.

Graduates Perceive a Challenging Job Market
Capital One's survey also revealed a pessimistic view of the current job market, but grads say they are optimistic about their personal prospects. Nearly half of the new graduates surveyed (48 percent) believe that, while there are some jobs available, there are not enough for all new graduates and 44.8 percent believe that there are fewer job opportunities than in previous years. Yet, despite these perceptions, 85 percent of the current graduates anticipate finding a job within the next six months.

"Regardless of the market environment, Capital One is always focused on finding the best people available and offering a work environment that's intellectually challenging and second to none," said Schuyler. "Just as we have attributes that we are looking to find in our new recruits, it is important for new graduates to think ahead and prioritize the factors that are most important to them in an employer."

For those who do not have a job lined up upon graduation, you are not alone. Only 40 percent of those surveyed reported having a job waiting for them upon graduation. For those who do not have a job lined up, Capital One offers this advice:

• Make a list of prospects. Establishing a priority list of ideal companies will ensure you are on task and actively working toward gainful employment. Do your homework to look for available job postings and learn as much as you can about the company you're interested in so that you are knowledgeable and prepared when you go to an interview.
• Start networking. Networking - through both personal and professional contacts - can be one of the best way to find a great job. Make a list of all your contacts and how they might be able to help you. Reach out to the people who are working in the field you're interested in pursuing and any who work for companies that interest you.
• Highlight your experience. "Real world" experience can provide a significant edge so, on your resume and when interviewing, highlight any relevant work experience (including part-time or summer jobs), internships, and volunteer efforts that demonstrate your initiative or your interest in a particular field.

Article courtesy of Capital One Financial Corporation, ranked among the "Best Places to Work" by Fortune magazine, one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine, and recognized as one of the "Top 50 Companies for Diversity" by Diversity, Inc., Capital One has an award-winning training and leadership development program, ranking second overal on Fortune magazine's "top Companies for Leaders" list.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 16, 2008 at 12:42 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The shortage of top talent is a reality that everyone in the Recruiting Profession faces on a daily basis. That may sound like job security but, your company judges you on your ability to attract and hire talent.

It is important to utilize your effective sources for top talent and it is just as important to identify one new source for talent every quarter. If you keep using the same sources, you will continue to get the same results! Often the individuals you interview can help you identify new sources, by sharing the sources they are using to find their next position.

The lack of talent has put a heavy emphasis on employee referral programs. This is a very cost effective way to attract talent and should include everyone in your company. Recruiters are also converting reference checks into networking calls. You have a supervisor and often a hiring authority on the phone and they are usually well networked and can provide referrals. It is also important to create TOMA (Top of Mind Awareness) for your company.

In order to create TOMA and become an employer of choice, you need to develop a strategic hiring process that enhances your reputation in the job market. Everyone who works for you should be able to answer the questions:

• Why should someone work for us?
• What sets us apart from our competition?
• What do we provide our workforce that is unique?
• How do we become one of the top 100 companies to work for?

It's not the companies who pay the most that become the hot companies in the job market. It's the companies who survey their employees and customize programs, benefits, working hours and other perks around the needs and wants of their employees.

As critical positions become vacant due to the aging baby boomers, do you have a plan in place to utilize these individuals on a consulting or contract arrangement? Often this is a win/win for your company as well as your experienced employee.

Recruiting efforts must be extremely pro-active, creative and must be reviewed to determine those sources that are providing the best talent. Figure out the 20% of your efforts that provide you with 80% of your candidates, and spend more time focused on those areas.

The competition to hire and retain Top Talent will continue to become a top priority for most companies. If you implement some of these ideas, you will stay on the cutting edge and edge out your competition for these valued employees.

Article by Barbara Bruno and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 16, 2008 at 11:37 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

An Executive Order issued by President Bush requires federal government contractors to use E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires and current employees who work on future federal contracts.

E-Verify is a web-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables employers to electronically verify work authorization.

The order (Amended Executive Order 12989) was announced yesterday at a press conference by DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff. It states that "adherence to the general policy of contracting only with providers that do not knowingly employ unauthorized alien workers and that have agreed to utilize an electronic employment verification system designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security to confirm the employment eligibility of their workforce will promote economy and efficiency in Federal procurement."

Chertoff confirmed that government contractors must use E-Verify to comply with the order, saying: "E-Verify is a proven tool that helps employers immediately verify the legal working status for all new hires." Neither the rule nor Chertoff gave any indication as to whether subcontractors will be required to use E-Verify.

The order will become effective once implementing regulations are published. A proposed rule is expected in the next few weeks. Click here to see the full text of the order.

What Should Employers Do?

While the order is not yet effective, employers should prepare by (1) ensuring that all existing I-9s are accurate and complete, (2) reviewing all existing federal contracts to determine which employees and locations are likely to be affected and (3) visiting the Blawg at least a couple of times every day to stay up-to-speed on any new developments.

Article by Mark Toth, Chief Legal Officer of Manpower's North American operations, and courtesy of Manpower Employment Blawg. Mark also serve as Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President of Franchise Relations and serve on our Global Leadership Team, North American Lead Team, Executive Diversity Steering Committee and Sarbanes-Oxley Steering Committee.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 13, 2008 at 11:15 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Let me start with this, HOO RAY!!! Another company gets it!!!

These past months a trickle of companies have started implementing ways to further engage and enhance communication among employees and internal business groups. A trickle is of course a start but I do wonder how long until a small but steady stream is running.

While Wachovia cites retaining Baby Boomer knowledge, trimming travel expenses, and lowering amount of paper used, it is of course the recruiting and retention part that has me most cheering.

I am tired of companies saying letting employees use Facebook and other social networks is a time waster. Or that the demographic is too young for them.

Knock, knock. HEEELLLOOOOO!!! In 3-5 years these folks will be approaching 30. In 3-5 years these will be the folks most needed by your company. Better to be proactive by retaining the ones you have and recruit their friends and people they know than start from scratch in 3-5 years when it is too late.

From InformationWeek, Enterprise 2.0: Wachovia Turns To Wikis, Blogs To Support Growth:

To connect its 100,000-plus employees, the financial services company is rolling out a slew of new collaboration tools anchored by Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s Sharepoint Server. Under the plan, Wachovia is adding wikis, blogs, instant messaging, social networking sites, and other Web 2.0 technologies to traditional methods like e-mail, according to Fields.

Beyond connecting employees around the world, Wachovia's collaborative environment is designed to attract -- and retain -- younger Generation Y employees who expect access to Web 2.0 tools at work. "They grew up in the flat world," said Fields. "They're used to playing video games with kids in Poland."

Fields said that many of corporate America's young workers' engagement levels "fall off the table" after about a year on the job because "we give them no means of input."

To change that, Wachovia is giving its Gen Y workers a role in helping its Enterprise 2.0 makeover succeed. Younger employees are assigned to teach senior staffers about the benefits of using collaborative networks.

Article by Paul DeBettignies and courtesy of MN Headhunter -- where they "play with their cards face up."

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 13, 2008 at 6:26 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

With all the talk about increasing unemployment - the highest in Ireland for 10 years, the potential impact to the Irish economy if McCain becomes President in the US due to his proposed approach to corporation tax and the recent PricewaterhouseCoopers CEO Pulse survey reporting that only 14% of Irish CEO's beleive there is a favourable outlook for the Irish economy over the next 12 months, is it any wonder that business leaders are less than enthusiastic about opportunities for growth?

I can imagine the conversations that are taking place around most board-rooms. When under pressure the usual approach is to look at budgets and immediately identify where costs can be cut. And the usual suspects are discretionary spend from training and development, travel and expenses, considering pay cuts and wage freezes and reducing marketing spend.

Whatever actions we decide upon, one thing I highly recommend is that you engage our team with the challenge facing you.

Through opening up a dialogue about the challenging time your business may be facing will enable you to ensure that your team:

• understand the decisions you are making and the reasons for them
• will be able to identify what these changes mean for them and their roles
• will be better equipped to explain any changes to clients or business partners
• and will undoubtedly be able to share ideas and suggestions they have for managing through tough times.

Engagement of your people at times of uncertainty is critical - and I'm not just talking about delivering a message of the actions you are planning to take as this runs the risk of disengaging your people, demotivating them and in fact even run the risk of losing your best and brightest talent.

Today I met with one of my coaching clients - a high potential marketing leader in a global company - and he opened the conversation sharing with me that he was considering leaving the organisation.

You see only last week he had been called into a meeting with his senior executive team who outlined that as their operating unit is underperforming, that everyone would be rated as underperforming this year in the year end appraisal.

My client had delivered great performance within his own team and function, but the overall collective performance of the business unit was way off mark and had not met the annual plan.

His immediate reaction was to leave the organisation as he felt that his personal contribution was not being recognised and even worse in his eyes was being rated as underperfoming which in the context of this organisation was to say farewell to any chance of job moves in the future.

When he had reflected on the message from the executive team and he thought about what he would do if this were his business, he completely understood the decision and why is was being made at a rational level. However his emotional connectiveness to the employer brand was severely impacted.

This high potential marketing leader who has significant influence with his team and his colleagues had been left disengaged and demotivated.

We talked through his strategy for moving forward and specifically for the next 180 days as he starts the new financial year. We explored how he might engage his own team and his internal stakeholders and clients in the challenging agenda for the year ahead. And we also talked through how he needs to demonstrate resilience through adversity - the actions we are seen to take and how we are seen to behave have an impact on other peoples experience of our personal brand as a leader.

At the end of our time together he had a robust plan of action and I think it's unlikely this high potential leader will leave his organisation in the short term.

He had someone to turn to and talk through his personal and professional strategy with, but that's not the case for most high potential leaders.

The conversation left me wondering what conversations are taking place in the workplace today that are undermining the strength of powerful employer brands, the psychological contract and talent strategies that have been crafted and developed by HR Directors and Heads of Talent Management.

Every connection, every communication, every conversation we have with our people can strengthen or destroy your employer brand. And at times of uncertainty or recession the risk of losing our best people despite golden handcuffs is never greater.

And as most businesses today are highly dependent on hiring and retaining great talent as a key strategy to winning in an ever increasingly complex and competitive world, my guess is that the organisations who will ride the recession with be those who understand and actively engage their people.

Article by Krishna De and courtesy of Biz Growth News blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 12, 2008 at 1:40 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Hi All,

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to San Diego and clearly didn't blog while I was gone. I'm not very good about blogging when I travel. My days are always busy and my nights are typically filled with networking and fun, so it's something I need to work on to avoid "lag time" between posts!

As I have discussed in previous posts, HR, recruitment and management professionals need to get creative technically when recruiting in this new era. Competition is only going to get more fierce as our talent pool shrinks so many of the "traditional" recruitment strategies are becoming less and less effective...and getting "with it" is even more important now that the tech-savvy Millennials are entering the professional workforce.

I came across this interesting article written by Ramesh Sambasivan, co-founder of iTradeFair.com, Inc., about "virtual job fairs". Here is an excerpt from the article posted on Ezinearticles.com that explains what virtual job fairs are and how they can be used effectively:

With the widespread use of the Internet for job searches, recruiters and hiring managers have a larger pool of accessible job candidates. The consequent information overload is inevitable. A typical search within a job board gives a recruiter thousands of choices and not enough time in the day to review all of them. A virtual job fair serves as a levee to arrest the information deluge, capture a relevant, interested and manageable part of the database, invite them to a job fair, and fish for the best candidates. From the candidates' perspective, they enjoy the ability to fish for the best opportunities. By creating manageable capsules of time, (web) space, and information, a virtual job fair creates a sheltered environment without the noise and clutter of the Internet for a recruiter or hiring manager to directly connect with a potential job candidate.

The other reason that a virtual job fair has become relevant is that hiring companies are trying their best to make their brand stand out amongst their competitors to attract the best talent that is out there. Many organizations are able to receive résumés of interested job candidates at their own career websites. Some even have a .jobs domain name to go with their overall web presence. With such elements they are trying to create an exclusive corner for their hiring needs and thus build some branding. To create an element of brand-loyalty even before they have become an employee of the company, many organizations prefer to have their own online event to invite and engage candidates who have expressed interest in working for that specific organization. The virtual job fair is an ideal way to maintain a pipeline of future employees that care about an organization's brand.

The article goes on to give you the "Three C's of a Successful job Fair", so click on this link to get this great info provided by Ramesh!

Article by Lisa Orrell, Millennial & Generation Relations Expert and courtesy of Lisa's Generation Relations Blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 12, 2008 at 11:52 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Rich Barton, the founder of Zillow, a site that publishes information about specific home values, has launched his next site which aims to do the same thing to with salary information. Glassdoor.com, which launches today, publishes salary information on specific positions within specific companies. Much like Jobvent.com or TheFunded.com, which provides user-submitted reviews of venture capital and private equity firms, Glassdoor also publishes reviews of companies. The company, which has raised $3M from Benchmark Capital, does not currently publish job openings or allow people to apply for positions within companies, and revenue is generated strictly from advertising on the site. Without a doubt, if the site can gain traction with users and provide a wealth of accurate information on a ton of companies, it will be a successful little niche site. I am not sure it will ever become a wildly successful, stand-alone site, but it could certainly be an attractive content category within another job or career site.

Article by Toby Dayton and courtesy of Diggings, a blog about recruitment advertising, media, publishing, HR, work, & technology, among other things.

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 12, 2008 at 11:28 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Current thinking is that a hiring organization should have a reliable and accurate interview process and there is little a job candidate can do to influence it. Unfortunately, a recent survey of UK heads of HR reveals that 74% of respondents believe people in their organizations use poor interviewing techniques resulting in bad hires (meaning, hiring the wrong person for the job or not hiring the right person for the job). Forty percent of the respondents believe that the main barrier to good selection decisions is simply poorly trained interviewers as well as a lack of preparation.

The interview as sales call
The interview is a sales call and the strategies of a sales call can fix a bad interview. When hiring talent, the hiring company is responsible for the selection process and the "purchase" decision. However, the salesperson is not a passive player in the process; indeed, he/she is expected to make a strong sales call. A good salesperson comes to the meeting prepared, establishes rapport, knows their product, understands the buyer's needs, matches their product's features and benefits to the buyer's needs, overcomes objections, and makes the sale. A passive salesperson, even with a good product, does not close the sale.

In certain sales situations, the buyer is very knowledgeable about the product, has a good purchasing process in place, including good questions and selection criterion, and provides the salesperson with the information they need to make a good sales presentation. In other sales situations, the buyer is clueless. When a good sales person encounters a clueless buyer they take a stronger hand in guiding the sales process. They will ask good questions to help clarify the buyer's needs, bring up issues the buyer has not considered, and highlight the important buying criteria.

As with a purchase, the hiring organization is ultimately responsible for the hiring process. However unlike a sales situation, hiring managers typically feel they have to "carry" the interview while candidates view themselves as passive recipients of the interviewer's style and questions. Included in this thinking is the idea that it is wrong for a candidate to be too aggressive and try to "control" the interview. Imagine a sales person sitting in a chair and spending their entire sales call just answering questions.

Sharing responsibility
So, who is responsible for a bad interview? The responsibility is shared. Bad interviews happen for a variety of reasons, most often due to poor preparation on both sides of the table. However, bad interviews due to poor interviewer skills and poor interviewer preparation can be overcome by candidates that are well prepared for job interviews. When confronted with a bad interviewer, a well prepared candidate can step up, take a stronger hand in guiding the interview, and make the sale. Candidates have to learn to take a more active approach, and share in the responsibility for "carrying" the interview. In addition, interviewers have to allow, even expect more candidate assertiveness and not view it as negative or controlling.

Good recruiters have good sales skills. Recruiters can play a role in helping candidates be better sales people by preparing them with the critical job requirements, suggesting they clearly communicate their potential benefits to the organization, and coach them to raise their level of assertiveness in the interview. When a candidate is prepared for the interview the recruiter makes the sale.

Article by Eric Kramer and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional