I now know what it’s like to be a job seeker in a recession… December 2, 2009

…it sucks. Recruiters must be inundated with applicants. Surely, that’s why they aren’t responding to my applications, right?

A year ago, there was still some competition for jobs among candidates, but now it’s cut throat.

I find myself seeking a new job in the wake of my position being eliminated at NYCA. To back up: I worked at NYCA for almost a year as the Director of Business Development, until my position was eliminated. I had a brief stint with a company who promised lots and didn’t deliver. And here I am, waiting for my government check that I doubt will come in time to pay bills, I digress.

I’ve been applying to jobs for hours each day across different industries and different titles. It’s amazing how many recruiters call me for life insurance sales jobs. It’s amazing how many recruiters call me and invite me to a group interview but they aren’t sure what position it is they are interviewing me for. But for the positions that are listed on Craigslist, Monster, Careerbuilder, etc., there is no response. No thank you email. No call. These are jobs with legit companies in which I match all qualifications. I’m not bitter that I’m not getting an interview. I’m bitter that these companies are ruining their employment brand, which we all know starts with the recruiting process.

Here we go again. These companies spent tons of cash over the past few years building an employment brand and proving themselves to candidates they are the ideal company. But once a recession hits and there are more candidates than jobs, do those efforts cease? That’s the feeling I get as a job seeker. What a shame. I wish they’d give me the money that they’ll be spending trying to re-brand themselves when the unemployment rate goes back down and they are fighting for talent again.

Here’s one way to get a job… May 5, 2009

Meet Lawson Clarke

Male Copywriter looking for work.

This guy rocks.

There’s nothing more to say and if he was writing this, that’s exactly how he’d say it.

Red, white and blue, in a depressing way. April 23, 2009

Maybe we should change the old saying to blue, white and hopefully no more red.

This interactive map shows the progression of jobs gained (in blue) and jobs lost (in red) from Jan 2007 through Feb of 2009.

Very powerful when you see the transformation.

Happy to be Employed or Happily Employed? April 16, 2009

Do you think people are happy in their jobs or just happy they have jobs?

Are companies seeing an influx in Rotten Apple Syndrome?

I’ve heard from handfuls of ‘rotten apples’ who say they are just happy to have jobs. This is so disheartening, especially when I was lucky enough to find a great career during the worst of our economic times.

We all know how contagious Rotten Apple Syndrome can be.  During times like these, it is even more challenging for leadership to keep employees pushing forward and keeping them engaged. It’s hard for employees to stay positive when they are working longer hours to cover for the people who were downsized, they may be dealing with their own financial issues, which can of course strain the home life so it’s important to have empathy and compassion for your employees. Show them you care, you appreciate and that you believe in them. If you don’t, who will?

 

If you are getting frustrated with work yourself, it is going to show to your team and the people who depend on you. You could be the bad seed that spreads rotten apples.

 

Will you be a rotten apple or a fresh peach? Positive attitudes can be just as contagious.

Recession = Repair March 12, 2009

I just saw an interesting story on the news that certain professions are doing extremely well recently. These jobs are in car repair, shoe repair, furniture repair, computer repair…see a theme? Repair, repair, repair. Seems people are dealing with what they have instead of trying to just replace.

 

Maybe people should look at this as an opportunity to repair themselves. What’s important to them or their company.

 

With so much talk about our depressing economy, unemployment rates and that it’s going to get worse before it gets better, why wouldn’t we all want a recession?  Sounds like a bad day in hell…but I look at it like it as our country is pressing the restart button. Like we’re repairing our over stimulated, greedy and materialistic world.

 

During a recession, yeah people are losing jobs and their homes but the bright side is retailers are offering better sales, creative financing and shortening full price shelf life cycles. 

 

On the job front, no doubt-its scary. Especially if you are in recruitment. We know this industry suffers the worst when the economy is in the toilet.  If you’re a third party recruiter, I’m sure you are sweating. If you’re in a corporate HR position, you’re probably happy that you can chill out on the constant catch up game called “recruitment” and actually launch that Service Awards Program or revamp the Employee Handbok. But those poor folks whose lives depend on companies placing people, are sure going to have become creative. If I were a 3rd party recruiter, I would start offering resume review services, interview training, and job finder services. Do something different. Offer consulting services.

 

I personally think we’ll see a spike in museum traffic or libraries will make a comeback as a resource for knowledge. People don’t have disposable incomes anymore to just trek to Disneyland or the Bahamas. Instead I bet they’ll visit the local museum to pass the time. Or instead of spending so much money at Barnes and Noble…they’ll get a book for FREE, yeah, remember that..books are FREE at libraries! If I was smart, I would start a business that offers coffee at libraries, since we all know our society likes the two together. 

 

Now, I’m a glass half full kind of person, so I look at it like, ok, here’s your chance to do something that you might like doing or is a placeholder while you look for what you want and you may come across another opportunity or track that you never thought of.  Take the Recession as your chance to do something that will help our economy get back on track and make money in the meantime.

 

Recession = Opportunity

Cultural Fittings and My New Career February 8, 2009

On January 20th, I became the Director, Business Development for a successful and talented general advertising agency, NYCA.  While I’m no longer in the Recruitment Communications field, I am still in the Communications field. I plan to still blog on trends and topics in the Recruitment field and feel I have a great vantage point on how general advertising can teach those in the recruitment world a little about successful marketing practices.

 

I’ve been blessed with not only landing my dream job, but to land it with my dream company. I couldn’t have found a more cultural fit for me if I had tried. The feeling that I get when I walk through those doors in the morning is inexplicable. I know I belong. I know I am respected. I am empowered and I am encouraged.  Since my first day, I felt like it was a true team effort by everyone to make me feel welcome. Three weeks later, I put the final touches on my first new business project and was completely impressed with the way that my co-workers offered to help in every aspect of the project.

 

My job feels more like a hobby in the sense that it’s something that I love to do, each and every day.  I have to believe that 85% of the reason why I love it so much is because I feel like it is a true cultural fit. I never realized, until this opportunity,  how important it was to fit into an organization. After being there for almost a month now, I understand what they say when they deemed me as a “NYCAer”. Its obvious that my team members are NYCAers as well.

 

I challenge you, the recruiter and anyone else who interviews candidates for that matter,  to keep in mind that finding someone qualified for the job should only be 25% of the decision. 10% should be what references say about the candidate and then 65% of the decision should be weighted on if it’s a cultural fit.

 

I know many of you are going to think I’m crazy or just still in the ‘honeymoon’ stage of my new job, but trust me…I can finally say, “I’m home”.

Social Networking is a viable recruitment source for younger generation January 5, 2009

 Bernard Hodes Group says that Social Networking IS a viable recruitment source for attracting the younger workforce! Yes, that’s sarcasm but with respect. While this really isn’t a surprise  to anyone, I was still blown away and impressed with the percentages that were  calculated. Check out the New Voices Project study, it’s definitely worth a read.

 

But remember if you’re going to incorporate social media into your recruitment strategy you should be tracking company’s buzz. How so? Conduct daily searches for key words that would relate to your company and/or jobs. Use  Twitter: http://search.twitter.com/. Create a search phrase like “your company name  jobs”  or “your company name employees”. This will bring up anyone and everyone who’s ever tweeted about your company or any Tweets with some or all of those search terms. In the top right hand corner there is an option for “Feed for this query” and subscribe to a feed. Take it one step further and click on Advanced Search and get technical with the terms you want to follow.

 

Play around with it and get used to it….it doesn’t bite.

Future Employee Parking and Social Recruiting December 18, 2008

Have you ever seen those signs that are posted in parking spaces at Property Management offices found in many apartment complexes that read “Future Resident Parking”? Think of Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Friendster, LinkedIn, and so on as parking spaces that all say “Future Employee Parking”. I’ve been calling this act “Social Recruiting” for almost a year now and I am happy to report that the coined term is catching on in theory and name recognition.

 

What it is.

It’s utilizing Social Media and Viral Marketing Strategies to engage talent and attract candidates to your organization. It’s an ongoing commitment to keeping your brand alive and top of mind for your future employees.  It’s a way to put your message out in multiple channels and let it spread like wildfire. It’s a short message that should be easily digestable by readers, members, subscribers, or whatever you want to call them. They are media snacking and quickly jumping from site to site so it has to be short and sweet because before you know it, they’re on to the next site.  It’s  free (on most of these sites) to put your branding messages up.  It’s a commitment to brand building. It’s another tool that helps you build equity in your Employment Brand. If you aren’t building equity in your Employment Brand, who will?

See this illustration…it’s called the Social Media Starfish. It is the most organized illustration of Social Media that I’ve found and I am thinking about getting it blown up to poster size, however at the rate that these sites develop and change, it might be a waste of money. What won’t be a waste of money is you getting to know these sites and understanding the type of messages that work well on each. Social media has impacted every aspect of our world and business and I am campaiging for companies to hire an individual to own the Social Media Initiative for the organization. Not every site is going to work for your company, but that’s the fun part about it, finding out which ones will.

 

What it’s not.

It’s not a quick fix and it won’t build itself. Yes, you should encourage employees to get out and spread the word of the great things that happen at your company, but like any other process, it has to be managed and monitored to some extent, without infringing on the First Amendment of course. It’s risky to  let your Employment Brand build itself because the message is then at the mercy of others and it can be at the hands of the wrong people. (a.k.a. disgruntled employees. ) By participating in Social Media and deploying a Social Recruiting strategy, you can effectively communicate your unique employment value proposition.  You can maintain control of your brand and ensure the integrity of the brand is protected and groomed.

 

It’s not a place for your company’s vision statement or boring boilerplate messages that no one cares about. It’s for messaging that should be raw and transparent. Afterall, that is what social media is for, a way to informally communicate online.

 

But remember, just because you are focusing on Social Recruiting, make sure you don’t forget about your baseline  branding pieces which include your Career Site and your Onboarding messaging. The great messaging you’ve launched in the recruitment process must be consistent and evident in these places as well in order to continue the brand continuity and keep candidates engaged in what you are selling.

 

Good Luck and let’s get some Social Recruiting going in 2009!

Can you find Gen Y? December 11, 2008

I often complain of the communication disconnect between job seekers and recruiters, but it’s even more challenging to target a specific demographic. However, if  it’s Gen Y’s that you’re trying to find, it’s actually pretty darn easy.  It’s not going be using a job board or an ad in the paper. It’s going to be on the sites that they frequent and are just down right addicted to using. The time is now to get on these sites, get comfortable using them and start branding with Gen Y’s.

 

Yes, the current unemployment rate of 6.7% indicates plenty of unemployed people to choose from but as the years pass and more Gen Y’s enter the workforce or change jobs will you know where to reach them and spark their interest?

 

Anderson Analytics’ GenX2Z recently released partial findings from its 2009 US College Student Report. The longitudinal study  looks at college students attitudes and behaviors over the past four years. This year’s special focus is social media including blogs, and Social Network Services (SNS) including Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn.

 “We were surprised to see how blogging has gained in popularity among college students” said Tom H. C. Anderson, founder and managing partner of Anderson Analytics, “From our other research we know that among online adults, only about 13% read blogs and 3% have their own blog.  Students are four times more likely to blog, which means blogging will continue to be a relevant and popular new media”.

 

Notice that among the top websites college students visit, Facebook has reached number one for the second year in a row. That’s two years in a row that you could have been leveraging your brand on Facebook.  Start a group on Facebook named after your company. Post press releases, pictures, videos, etc. on there to give people an inside view into your organization. Have your CEO post something. Invite your contacts and encourage them to invite friends or refer people to join the group. This is true viral marketing.

 

The study goes beyond identifying the most popular websites and uncovers what activity is taking place on these sites, Blogging.

 

 

  “We were surprised to see how blogging has gained in popularity among college students” said Tom H. C. Anderson, founder and managing partner of Anderson Analytics, “From our other research we know that among online adults, only about 13% read blogs and 3% have their own blog.  Students are four times more likely to blog, which means blogging will continue to be a relevant and popular new media”.

 

Blogging is scary to most people but that’s no excuse to not do it at all, so get over it. Your company must incorporate it into your Social Recruiting plan. People look for blogs. They welcome blogs. They expect blogs. They want to be able to investigate your company before they send their resume and cover letter.

 

Sun Microsystems started their corporate blogging site in 2004 and encouraged their employees to write about whatever they want as long as it doesn’t disclose any Intellectual Property. Almost 5 years later, it is still a success. The results speak for themselves.

 

Blogging gives your organization the chance to be transparent and open. To show the public that you aren’t hiding anything. This is what Gen Y’s want. As other generations catch on and increase in usage of social networking and blogs, the common practice of expecting transparency will become infectious. So, if you work for a company who is shady, get out, you’ll never recruit and retain successfully.

TalentMash Ranked 12th and what it means to me! December 8, 2008

Once again, Fistful of Talent has released their latest list of Talent Management Top 25 Blog Power Rankings. TalentMash was ranked 12th this time around, up from 22nd! My sincere thanks to the judges who ranked TalentMash after reviewing over 115 HR, Recruiting and Talent industry blogs!

Receiving this ranking means to me that first, someone is actually reading my blog (lol) and secondly it inspires me to continue writing content that will provide advice or entertainment (depending on what you think of it) to fellow Talent Management professionals. Lastly, it makes me proud to know that HR Professionals are seeking out relevant content to stay up to date on industry trends and to utilize the information for career development.

 

The full list is below. I am truly honored to be among these talented industry experts. My Top 3 personal favorites that I recommend you check out include:

1.    cheezhead™

7.    AmyBeth Hale – Research Goddess 

23.  Punk Rock HR

 

From Fistful of Talent:

We’re back at it again, folks. Fistful of Talent is pleased to unveil the second round of our Talent Management Blog Power Rankings. We looked at 115 Talent, HR and Recruiting-related blogs and have compiled our list of the very best. Check out the original Poll Methodology here (but note we looked at more blogs this time around and the lineup of folks ranking the blogs has changed slightly).

Ranking/Blog Name (Power Rating, Last Poll Ranking)
1.    cheezhead™ (Power Index Rating – 120 | 1st Place Votes – 3 | Last Poll Ranking – #10)
2.    The Recruiter Guy (Power Index Rating – 79 | 1st Place Votes – 1 | Last Poll Ranking – N/A)
3.    Jim Stroud’s The Recruiters Lounge (Power Index Rating – 78 | 1st Place Votes – 3 | Last Poll Ranking – #1)
4.    Compensation Force (Power Index Rating – 66 | Last Poll Ranking – #4)
5.    Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel (Power Index Rating – 62 | Last Poll Ranking – #23)
6.    Your HR Guy (Power Index Rating – 54 | Last Poll Ranking – N/A)
7.    AmyBeth Hale – Research Goddess  (Power Index Rating – 41 | Last Poll Ranking – #16)
8.    All Things Workplace (Power Index Rating – 38 | Last Poll Ranking – #3)
9.    Employee Evolution (Power Index Rating – 35 | Last Poll Ranking – N/A)
10.  Great Leadership (Power Index Rating – 34 | Last Poll Ranking – #9)
11.  http://learn.trizle.com/(Power Index Rating – 30 | Last Poll Ranking – N/A)
12.  TalentMash by Kristin Gissarro (Power Index Rating – 29 | Last Poll Ranking – 22)
       Andy Headworth’s Sirona Says (Power Index Rating – 29 | Last Poll Ranking – N/A)
14.  HRmarketer.com (Power Index Rating – 28 | Last Poll Ranking – N/A)
15.  Evil HR Lady (Power Index Rating – 28 | Last Poll Ranking – #5)
16.  Marketing Headhunter.com (Power Index Rating – 27 | Last Poll Ranking – #21)
17.  HR Bartender (Power Index Rating – 26 | Last Poll Ranking – N/A)
18.  Three Star Leadership Blog (Power Index Rating – 26 | Last Poll Ranking – N/A)
19.  Ask a Manager (Power Index Rating – 23 | Last Poll Ranking – #16)
20.  Seth Godin (Power Index Rating – 24 | Last Poll Ranking – #7)
21.  The Business of Management (Power Index Rating – 24 | Last Poll Ranking – #15)
22.  JibberJobber Blog (Power Index Rating – 23 | Last Poll Ranking – N/A)
23.  Punk Rock HR (Power Index Rating – 23 | Last Poll Ranking – N/A)
24.  TalentedApps (Power Index Rating – 22 | Last Poll Ranking – N/A)
25.  Social Media Headhunter (Power Index Rating – 21 | Last Poll Ranking – N/A)
Congrats to all the winners!