The segment I participated in on Fox News this past weekend is now available on their website. My thanks goes out to Julie Banderas for facilitating such a comfortable interview and to Eldad Yaron for setting this up and getting the video link to me.

As a result of my participation in the JobAngels movement, and the subsequent Wall Street Journal article, I was fortunate to get a little air time on the America’s News HQ program on Fox News Sunday. While I was a bit disappointed by the lack of discussion regarding JobAngels, I was pleasantly surprised by the plug for JobsInTheUS that Julie gave us.

Here’s the video from this past Sunday:

Okay… I’ve officially become a TwitterGeek! While I originally found this app to be a complete waste of time and silly creation, I’ve certainly come to admire it. There really are many ways in which Twitter can be of value, both personally and professionally. Yes, it can seem a bit odd. But if you give it a try, and be thoughtful about why you’re in this space, I think you’ll find it to be more than you expected. Sorry, enough of the plug…

Check out this app that I just learned about called Twitter Mosaic. It’s not all that exciting, but it does give a visual of your individual Twitter network. Here’s mine:

Get your twitter mosaic here.

This afternoon, I’m booked to participate in a live broadcast on FoxNews’s weekend American News HQ with Julie Banderas. I was contacted by the station after the article on JobAngels ran in the Wall Street Journal this week. Apparently, feel good stories are in fashion! JobAngels started as a single “tweet” on Twitter, and has really gained momentum as people all across the country are volunteering to lend a helping hand. The premise was simple- what a difference it could make if we all could help just one person find a job.

Now, I have to admit, FoxNews might be my last choice of a network to get the word out. In fact, even as they were inviting me on, they gave me this word of support:

Don’t worry, you won’t be on with Bill O’Reilly. No one will be attacking you.

I just thought that was HILARIOUS! Anyhow, it is tremendous exposure for the movement, and of course for JobsInTheUS and JobsInNH. This attention came my way by virtue of JobsInNH having a good relationship with a healthcare network in NH. You can read a bit more about my first engagement with JobAngels in a post I wrote the day it hit me.

At any rate, if you’re interested in learning more about jobangels, or just interested in a good, old fashioned, feel good story, tune in to foxnews (this may be the only time I utter those words) at 4 this afernoon!

As previously stated in my post about Social Media Bucket #3: Information Sharing, I feel strongly that all social media resources fall into one or more of three distinct buckets: Social Networking, Professional Networking, and Information Sharing. In this edition, I’ll share my thoughts on bucket #2, Professional Networking. Again, here’s my disclaimer:

Please note that these are my own thoughts and biases, so I willingly accept all criticism, skepticism, and responsibility surrounding the following assertions.

There is often confusion to new comers to the social media scene about the differences among all the various resources available. In particular, there is often frustration in understanding the nuances between social networking and professional networking platforms. Professional networking sites include TalentBar, EngineeringExchange, HRMToday, PPMNG, and of course the industry leader, LinkedIn. The major distinguishing feature of Professional Networking platforms is that they are focused solely on connecting people for the purpose of doing business. While profile pages on social networking sites often include information about your likes, dislikes, pets, favorite music, etc., the profiles on most Professional Networking sites read more like resumes and work histories. As an unabashed fan of LinkedIn and other professional networking sites, I find tremendous value in them, but also understand the limitations.

I see three main areas of benefit for these platforms- Business Development, Career Transition, and Access to Expertise. Professionals looking to do business can join networks where potential customers, vendors, or partners are coming together. For example, if you’re interested in selling to recruiters, you may find Recruitingblogs to be a valuable social media to participate in. If you do business with engineers, you’ll be well-served to join the EngineeringExchange. By participating in these resources, which I’ll discuss further below, you can build an online reputation for you and your company, and identify who key influencers and decision makers are. Most resources work hard to build the core of the membership as actual professionals with expertise in one area, but understand the value of having vendors and partners involved in the dialogue as well.

For Career Transition, Professional Networking sites allow individuals to make and develop connections to people that can be leveraged to gain access to interviews. For example, if you’re looking for work in HR, you may want to join HRMToday, and connect with other HR professionals who may either be hiring for their department, or willing to share tips on job openings they know of. You also may want to join other groups, and connect with hiring managers or employees at other levels in the company. The connections can be developed and leveraged to help you gain access to the right hiring decision makers. Through active and thoughtful participation, you can actually build quite a personal brand and strong network to help you find your next great job. Sites such as LinkedIn can help you keep what is essentially an online resume updated, and you can add to it and share with others as needed.

The last main benefit is Access to Expertise. This is the benefit that I find to be of most value. Through these platforms, you can easily find industry experts, thought leaders, and trend influencers. Through forums and Q&A formats within these platforms, you can share and gain knowledge from professionals around the world. The amount of information that members are willing to share is closely tied to how much you’re willing to contribute. You have to remember that these organizations are very similar to a chamber of commerce or a local trade association, in that you need to establish yourself, and show that you’re interested in being an involved member.

As I’ve stated, the value of these professional networking resources is determined by your level of thoughtful participation. Nearly all of these types of platforms allow you to ask questions, begin and comment on discussions, add blog posts, or join chats. If you wish to be taken seriously, you need to choose which networks to join, and commit to being an active member. Not only should you start a discussion from time to time, but you should look through discussions posted by others, and share comments. It’s important to remember that every time you add any piece of content, you’re affecting your online reputation. Long term success is always based on trust and respect.

Before adding content, always ask yourself this simple question: How will this content affect my reputation?

As with any social media resource, there are also important drawbacks to consider. By being an online resource, people have the chance to create false fronts. Be sure to check on the profiles of people you network with, see who they are connected with, and follow their content as you try to determine whether or not to connect. You also have to be careful to remember that your information becomes public within that forum, opening you up to spammers.

Overall, for professionals who are looking to build their knowledge base, or for businesses looking to build brand awareness, professional networking sites offer significant value. These are not the resources to push your personal ideologies or share information about your pets or hobbies. Be sure that as you engage, you remain disciplined in how you participate, and remember that online professional networking sites require patience and dedication just like live networking groups and associations.

I hope this helps a little. Coming soon- Social Networking Bucket #1: Social Networking.

As a follow up to my previous posts, Don’t Just Sit On Your Hands and 4 Keys to INTERNAL Employment Branding During a Recession, the following bullets are laid out to provide some direction to employers, recruiters, marketing directors, personnel managers, and HR professionals on EXTERNAL Employment Branding. (remember, Consumer Branding is meant to build up your consumer base, Employment Branding is meant to build your employment base… and I’m not exactly sure how the term Employer Branding fits.)

During a recession, you’ll likely be making fewer hires- potentially only replacing key positions. Employment Branding is absolutely necessary to ensure your attracting the very best candidates that will help you company survive the downturn and thrive in the upswing. Here are some of the most important things I’d ask everyone to consider when developing or reviewing your external employment brand:

• If you asked every applicant to share what they know about your company culture during your first phone call, what would the result be? Ask this question to every applicant you phone screen, and track the results
• When you do an online search for “Careers at (YOUR COMPANY NAME HERE)” what would you find? Make sure you have pages on your website dedicated to your employment brand.
• If you aren’t hiring, how could someone find out what it’s like to work for you? Be sure to keep your employment brand visible all year long and drive a consistent message.
• How many GREAT applicants do you get when you’re not actively hiring? Companies with well developed employment brands will receive applicants from great candidates all year long, because they want to be part of your organization.
• If you went for a recruiting day at a campus right now, would there be a line of students waiting to speak with you? Utilize social media and online resources to generate a buzz about your company- and yes, even YOUR company is buzzworthy!
• What would your current employees say if they read your employment branding promotional materials? Remember, brand integrity directly affects your ability to retain new hires and existing employees- so be sure that you’re brand is true.

Consider this: With all the bad news about layoffs and unemployment, any news or PR you can generate about your positive employment brand will catch people’s attention. In fact, it is much easier now to grow your employment brand awareness and brand penetration! While others are shying away from the spotlight, you can take center stage.

If you aren’t currently hiring, investing time and energy in your employment brand now will lead to significant payouts when you’re back in growth mode. Develop brand loyalty now, and when you’re ready to hire, great people- and maybe more importantly, the right people- will be banging down your door.

EMPLOYMENT BRANDING STORY FROM THIS WEEK:
When we work with job seekers, we push the idea that employers are looking for the “right fit” for their company. We guide job seekers to begin their search by doing a self assessment- what are their own core values, strengths, motivations, talents, desires, and comfort zones. Once you know what makes you happy, and what you want from life, then you can target companies who’s culture and mission fit your own. This is the key to long term employee satisfaction, increased retention, and ultimately profitability.

Here’s a quick story to illustrate (verbally) how employment branding can affect the type of candidates you receive. A soon to be graduate at Smith College is looking to start her career with BET, and has asked for some advice on her cover letter and resume. She has already interned with the Media Education Foundation and with MTV, so has relevant experience in this industry. Additionally, working in media is a passion of hers, and she has the experience to support that. However, it’s likely that BET will collect hundreds of resumes for this position, so it’s important to make sure she conveys her alignment with their culture and philosophy.

We went on the web to research more about the career environment of BET, their culture, professional development programs, etc. And found nothing. The job she was applying for was written up in three sentences, part of a pdf that included a dozen or so other job descriptions. There was nothing about their culture, nothing about the types of employees they’re looking for, nothing about the benefits they offer to top talent. There was simply no information that would shed light on who they are and what kind of environment a new hire is walking into. While I can’t find statistics published on this, I have a pretty high confidence that they struggle with significant employee turnover. If you don’t specifiy the type of culture you have and the type of people you’re looking for, you’re far less likely to attract the right ones.

I told this student that she continue to reach out through social media and other online resources to explore the culture and environment further. A key to getting the interview is presenting yourself as the “right” person for the job because of your unique combination of skills, talents, motivation, drive, values, and passion that align with the company.

As you may have heard me say, or read in previous posts or in response to questions on LinkedIn, I believe that all social media falls into one or more of three buckets: Social Networking, Professional Networking, and Information Sharing. I thought it was about time I went into more depth on these three buckets, starting with Social Media Bucket #3, Information Sharing. (Please note that these are my own thoughts and biases, so I willingly accept all criticism, skepticism, and responsibility surrounding the following assertions)

While some social media outlets provide excellent platforms to connect and build networking relationships with like-minded people, either for social or professional engagement, Information Sharing social media outlets are designed to do just that- share information. These resources include StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit, YouTube, NewsVine, and others. Essentially, you’re able to add or recommend information/content to these resources, then share it with your network, and by extension, the world. Most of these resources do allow for comments to be added by other members of the service, but really aren’t designed for ongoing discourse. This, as with all the Social Media Buckets, has it’s benefits and it’s drawbacks.

The benefits to Information Sharing sites can be broken down to two parts- disseminating information and accessing information. First, let’s talk about the benefits for disseminating information. For businesses, and people looking to grow their presence in the social media world, these outlets are a terrific free resource to promote your knowledge, skill, ideas, thoughts, and interests. Whether you want to promote your silly lip syncing to 80’s love songs on YouTube, or promote an article about your company on Newsvine, Information Sharing sites help you get your message out. As a result, these sites are very appealing to businesses looking to build brand awareness and reputation, and advertisers looking for consumer eyeballs. You can share press release information, provide recommendations for services, review books you’ve read, create web videos, and so much more. And, of course, all these platforms are highly indexed on search engines, further increasing your visibility and reach. Truly, information sharing sites are a tremendous benefit to building your online presence and reputation.

The benefits for accessing information are just as significant. Once you become a member of these resources, you’ll be able to see information shared by people, and more importantly, will begin to develop a level of trust for certain content providers and information disseminators. By seeing ongoing commentary of users, you’ll find experts that you agree with or respect, and can then continue to follow or view the information they share. These sites allow us to catch news clips that we may have missed when they aired live, they give our network of friends and associates avenues to send us links to news stories we may care about, and they allow us to search and find virtually any perspective on any subject we wish. Never before have there been so may opportunities to access information- fact, opinion, rumor, innuendo, data, industry experts, analysis, etc- so quickly and with some form of connection to the people disseminating that information.

Of course, there are also very substantial drawbacks to these service. Primarily, in my book, is the fact that very little, if any, of this content is regulated. And, by virtue of the free access, there is no fact-checking or oversight being done. Some may say that there is no accountability, but I would say there is very little. The accountability comes in the form of loyalty and trust of those who access the information. If it’s found that the information you provide (attached to you by your username) is fraudulent or completely reckless, people will stop paying attention to you and your information/recommendations.

One of my favorite resources is Twitter. Many people still have difficulty understanding the value of this “microblogging” service that only allows you to post 140 characters at a time. I believe this confusion is based on many people’s limited understanding of social networking. In fact, many people misconceive Twitter as a social networking (Bucket #1) or professional networking (Bucket #2) resource. While it certainly does connect people with others, the limits of this platform really relegate it’s value to Information Sharing. As you’d see if you followed people, there are a great many links to information and recommendations provided. By following people, you can get a feel for their perspective. Many also don’t understand how to jump into Twitter to begin accessing information. Here’s a quick example:

Please see the RSS Feed below post. What you’re looking at is a feed from a search done on Search.Twitter.Com. I performed the search for “#EFCA”, one of my areas of interest recently. What is returned in this feed is every post on Twitter that includes #EFCA. I can then view the profiles of the people “tweeting” about this topic, and decide for myself if I should follow them or not. By following them, I’ll have access to see all their posts. This search feature is a great way to find people who are posting information and comments about things you are intereseted in. To make this easier, many people on twitter include what are called hash tags. A hash tag is when you put a # sign next to a term. This makes searching easier. If I post something that has to do with the Employee Free Choice Act, I’ll add #EFCA to the post so that people can find it easily.

As you’ll see in the RSS feed below, you can find many links to information and opinions about the EFCA. This is a great example of how you can access information through this site. I hope this was helpful to those still treading lightly in the social media ecosystem. Please share your thoughts, questions, and comments.

jason

A few weeks back, my company agreed to a proposal I put forth to offer free job hunting workshops on-site at companies that are forced to lay people off this year. We’ve been offering this content at state agencies and college career centers across New England for almost 5 years now.

With the economy affecting so many businesses, we thought it would be a good opportunity to do good, and offer assistance to those in need. Additionally, we’ve seen a real lack of quality, informed, and up-to-date information being provided by other programs. Of course, there’s no doubt it provides our business with good PR and an opportunity to stay visible despite a sluggish job market.

Within the first couple days of sending out the offer to businesses, I received nearly two dozen requests for more information. To date, we now have 4 on-site workshops scheduled in the next couple weeks. Today, I presented the first at a local insurance company. This company had decided to close it’s Maine site, to consolidate operations on the west coast. As a result, around 100 experienced insurance employees are now looking for new work… and there just aren’t so many insurance jobs to be had. So what now?

I am very grateful for the opportunity to utilize my skills in an effort to help people find success during such a difficult transition. There seemed to be good enthusiasm, considering the circumstances, and a general attitude of moving forward. I spoke to three groups, totaling around 75 employees, and most were considering seeking out completely new opportunities in new areas. One of the keys to my presentation is to establish a good rapport with the group, and do my best to steer them toward being open to new opportunities. When faced with such a disruptive force as a layoff, it can be terribly difficult to remain positive and open to opportunities. But, of course, without a good frame of mind, it’s difficult to move forward.

I go out of my way to reinforce that the first step to finding a great new job is self analysis. From my experience and perspective, I believe that success in the job hunt is related to the amount of time and effort put in to identifying exactly what you want and focusing your search on the best potential career matches, based on core values, mission, vision, and skills required. While some people advise that it’s best to send out 50 resumes a week every week, I try to steer people toward narrowing down their search, and customizing their effort for each company they apply to. In fact, I advised that no one should ever send out the exact same version of their resume twice!

The idea that hr professionals and recruiters are focused more than ever on fit and culture can be news to job seekers. I spend a great deal of time during the workshop to beat folks over the head with this idea. As a hiring manager, I want to know that you want to be part of my company, and that you’ll be a good fit. Fit leads to retention, reducing turnover costs, and increasing productivity and profitability over the long term. With that understanding, it’s vital that you seek out opportunities that you believe will be a good fit between the core values, mission, and vision of you and the company you’re seeking employment with.

Overall, I believe it was a very good day, and hope that some piece of information I shared today will help these good people as they head out on their next exciting adventure.

I sat through a 90 minute presentation by a labor attorney speaking to HR folks about the issues associated with the Employee Free Choice Act, EFCA. While there was a significant undertone of fear-mongering and scare tactics employed to generate calls to his firm, the speaker did offer a good general overview of the facts associated with EFCA, as well as a nice history unions and the National Labor Relations Board.

I’ve done my best to provide some unbiased facts along with some biased opinions on the issue. Please feel free to agree, disagree, or not care.

Here’s how the current secret ballot election process works:

• Union organizers obtain authorization cards signed by at least 30% of Bargaining Unit. These cards grant permission for unions to represent the employee in a collective bargaining agreement or to hold seek a representation election.
• Union filed petition with National Labor Relation Board (NLRB)
• NLRB sends written notice to employer, who is then responsible to post notice in workplace, and provide employee roster to NLRB to verify 30%
• Normally within 45 days of petition for election, NLRB schedules Representation Election.
• Employer required to post election notice in workplace, election is then typically held in neutral site on employer premises, and is supervised by NLRB rep.
• Ballots counted in presence of observers.
• Outcome of election is basd on the majority of ballots cast. If there are 50 eligible voters, but only 20 vote, 11 votes constitute a majority which would then represent all 50 employees.
• In the current system, employeers have an opportunity to educate employees within reasonable guidelines- no promises, threats, solicitation of grievances, change in work conditions, interrogation, etc. Employees also have an opportunity to discuss among themselves.
• Currently Unions lose a majority of elections. Unions also fear that employer commit unfair labor practices to influence employees.

So that’s today. Why do we need an EFCA, and what are the issues? That’s up to interpretation and perspective. Anti-EFCA pundits would say that the objectives are to avoid educational campaigns by employers and avoid giving voice to dissenting employees. In reality, the election process is really eliminated, and employers would be required to enter collective bargaining with a bargaining unit based solely on signed authorization cards by a majority. NLRB then resolves all bargaining unit issues. Here’s some bullets on the concerns by employers:

• NLRB counts authorization cards, if there’s majority support, the Union is certified and obligation to bargain begins.
• There is no requirement to notify employers of the distribution or collection of authorization cards until they are signed, avoiding any opportunity for employers to open dialogue with employees.
• There is no requirement for a general notice to employees regardign the organizing activity, meaning union organizers can pick and choose who they give cards to. The fear is that influencers against organizing would be kept in the dark.
• Removal of the secret ballot creates the opportunity for coercion and intimidation in the solicitation of authorization cards.
• Bargaining MUST commence within 10 days of written request from Union. The anti-EFCA argument is that no company can get a bargaining position together within 10 days, particularly if they don’t know it’s coming.
• If there’s no agreement within 90 days from beginning of negotiation, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is assigned, and then the sides have just 30 days to reach agreement. After that, an arbitration panel shall render a settlement decision which is binding for 2 years. Ultimately, this could incentivize the union to make outlandish requests in the negotiation and refuse settlement, believing that an arbiter will meet both sides halfway.

Okay, so that’s not so brief. I’m willing to admit that I am pro-union, and feel that there must be institutions in place to protect employees rights, particularly as capitalism spirals out of control and the wage gap between executives and employees widens. BUT THIS ISN’T THE BEST LEGISLATION WE CAN COME UP WITH.

Have thoughts? Please share!

I absolutely cannot believe that it’s been 10 months since the Granite State HR Conference hosted it’s 2008 event! Even more scary to me, is that our 2009 event is now just 2 months away!!! Actually, since joining the board for the conference back in May of last year, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by just how smooth this process has gone. This year, we’re expecting a record turnout as participants due to three important factors:

1. The 2009 program has been filled with business critical sessions that will help companies survive and thrive in the current economy.
2. Attendees will have access to receive five HRCI credits, including 2 sessions certified for Strategic credits!
3. Keynoter Bert Jacobs, CEO of Life Is Good, Inc., is a dynamic speaker who’s talks combine humor, passion, and personality with strategic business messages to offer a powerful and unique experience for the audience.

Check out the list of certified sessions at the Grante State HR Conference Blog! Just a click away at http://gshrcblog.blogspot.com. Go NOW!

In addition, as we move closer to the event, speakers from the 2009 Human Capital Summit will be contributing to the blog space! To stay up to date and informed, sign up for email updates when you get there!