Alstin hopes everyone enjoys this Labor Day weekend! We’re back to the blog next Tuesday, 9/7/10!

Some things seem like a good idea if you agree to them far enough in advance. Case in point: Last year, after my husband finished a sprint triathlon in Brigantine, NJ, my 12-year-old suggested we compete as a family relay team in 2010. It seemed like a good idea at the time and, hey, I had a whole year to train. Right?

Here’s what we agreed to: My husband would do the quarter mile bay swim; I would do the 11-mile bike portion; and our 12-year old would complete the 4-mile run. No sweat. Especially once I trained for it. With a year to go I figured I’d start my training about four months before the event. When the time to start training rolled around, four months of training for an 11-mile bike ride seemed a bit overzealous, three months of training should do the trick. Or maybe I could do it in two. Or one. The night before the event the only option left was to pray for rain.

August 7, 2009 – the day of the Brigantine Sprint Triathlon – dawned as a picture perfect summer day. Not a cloud in the sky and zero percent chance of precipitation. It was on.

Of course, when I say I didn’t train at all, I’m exaggerating a bit. Bike riding is my outdoor activity of choice and in the weeks leading up to the race, I hopped on my bike at least a couple of times a week. A few times I even rode eleven miles just to make sure I could do it. As a suburban soccer mom who had never been in any type of race before, let’s just say I wasn’t your typical triathlon participant – even for a sprint. My relay partners and I agreed that we had one goal – to finish. In my mind, I established a somewhat leisurely pace for myself of 6-minute miles. Factoring in the run through the transition area (gulp), I emphasized to my husband and daughter that they shouldn’t look for me for at least an hour and ten minutes after my start.

As anybody who has ever participated in an event like this probably knows, I wasn’t factoring in race day adrenaline. As I waited in the transition area for my husband to complete his swim, my heart was pounding with equal parts excitement and fear. He made good time on the swim, despite the unusually strong bay current that day, and before I knew it he was running towards me to transfer the ankle bracelet that contained our time chip. Once the transition was complete, I ran the bike through transition to the bike staging area. Then it was eleven miles of pure bike riding adrenaline. After the first five miles I stopped hyperventilating. The last mile I smiled the whole way. I finished the ride twenty minutes faster than I expected. My 12-year-old ran her four miles (with her dad beside her for support) like a champ. The best part? Now we have a time to beat. We’re all in again for next year. Training begins in April.

Google Talk was officially launched yesterday as a free tool for non-Gmail users (even though Google Voice has been around for sometime and Google Talk has been free for Gmail users as well.)

What’s the difference between Google Voice and Google Talk? Not much. To quote Pablo Valerio from his article on Technorati.com:

Google Voice allows you to get a unique phone number for all your communications. It can be a local number in any area code in the US, and you can forward the number to all your phones (home, office, cell, etc.). Setting up some rules allow you to block certain calls, divert the call to only a phone depending on the caller, etc.. Also

allows to send and receive text messages (SMS) to any US cell phone number for free.

Google Talk has been available on Gmail for a while, but only as a way of communication with other Gmail users. Now a call button is incorporated in Gmail for the users of Google Talk: You can call from your computer

(a microphone and speakers are required), to anyone in the US and Canada for free. Google also offers cheap calls to foreign countries, and believes the revenue from those calls will offset the cost of the free US calls.

You don’t need to setup Google Voice to use the free Google Talk calls, but if you have a Google Voice number it will show up as your CallerID when you make a phone call. If you import your contacts to Gmail you can just type the name on the call box and the number will be selected.

One advantage is the possibility to call the US from another country for free if you use Gmail.

So, what does this mean? Well, if you use Skype (like many in the business world do…to video conference, share documents and work collaboratively) it means Google might be introducing a competitive product in the marketplace of  Unified Communications. However, Skype won’t be outplayed in this UC market – they launched their own newest business product Skype Connect.

According to Mashable’s  Christina Warren, “With Skype Connect, businesses can now integrate the service into their existing PBX systems. In addition to making outgoing calls at Skype rates from desktop phones, Skype Connect also lets businesses receive phone calls from other Skype users, landline or mobile phones, or from other phones on the corporate PBX. Also, Skype Connect can be configured to route calls to mobile numbers.” Read more on Skype Connect by clicking here.

So, my biggest question is: Are you using video conferencing within your own recruiting world? If not…why not? Imagine being able to work with remote team members quickly, easily and at no cost (Human Resource folks love to hear ‘free!’).

Turn your desktop into a video interview portal. Meet and greet with remote candidates for a first-round ‘phone screen’ – you can tell a lot about a candidate through a video conference that you can’t tell just from a voice on the other end of the line. Many (if not all) computers these days are built with video and microphone capabilities. Use the technology that’s there!

Have you ever video-interviewed a candidate? If so, how did you find the process? Pros vs. cons? Let us know! Post your comments or tweet me @JenHitchens

We’ve all witnessed the slow disintegration of weekly print ad use to pull in resumes for your need to fill quickly positions, as the online web posting has filled pages and pages of job boards and niche sites – from the top and side, static and flashing banners, leaderboards and skyscrapers hugging the screens of selected career sites, to the monthly or weekly blast of an emailed opportunity reminder, we’ve covered the gamut.

Everyone’s looking for the next big thing. What can we do to stay ahead of the curve? You’re doing the social networking thing, and it’s going great. You’re up to 1,894 fans, and have 587 followers already, and your talent network is growing everyday. Now what?

Things are going quite well, but there’s always room for improvement. You still can’t seem to find the right candidate for the same 3 hard to fill positions. The experience isn’t there, the education isn’t enough, and/or the qualifications don’t match. You wonder, “What else can I do to attract possible hires that meet the needs of these positions”?

Have you considered what the response would be if you were able to bring more life to your tired old job description? Let’s face it, your hard to fill positions are usually calling for those candidates that are currently working in their careers – the passive jobseeker. To catch those big fish, you need to reel them in with more than a job title and a simple “We’re the biggest and best”. In this time of social media, people are more inclined to be drawn to something that speaks to their interests, both professionally and personally. They’re interested in what it’s really like to work for and with you, and not just the approved jargon put out by HR management. Every company is a “best place to work”, according to them. But what do the employees really think about working there? What is the position they’re interested in really like in the day to day? Who would they send the most time with, and how understanding and flexible is management? What is the environment really like underneath the perfect photos presented in the ads?

The answers to these inquiries can be given in a hiring video. Give your job description a personality with a manager, recruiter, or employee giving a sincere account of the position for interested candidates to get the feel of the job, and what the onboarding process would be like for them. Appeal to their emotional side and share with them the culture of the company and its community involvement. Ask yourself, what would lure you into this new opportunity? A passionate explanation of the vast strides their division/discipline is making in their profession can attract those who are familiar with their claim, and want to contribute to its advancement.

This video is a chance to say what you’re really thinking when you want to stress the value in your location, the benefits you offer, how fortunate you feel to work for an administration that assists you with childcare and other amenities, and also what applicants will probably not fair well in that particular position and should refer to your other openings. The sincerity and enthusiasm observed in the facial expression, body language, and speech of the interpreter really delivers a true narrative for the interested party, and in turn, may help limit the amount of unqualified responses.

If you’re wondering what’s next in the realm of successful recruiting, a video designed to peak the interests and address the concerns of the passive jobseeker may be just what the HR gods ordered. These informative yet friendly videos are a perfect complement to your social networking pages, and should be used in conjunction with your social media approach. Preparing a video for each of your hard to fill positions would be an ideal start. If you’d like a professional but welcoming video produced for your positions, contact Alstin – we’ll get the job done, and you’ll get the job filled!

It’s that time of year again! Sponsored by our friends at The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, this is a chance for local companies to tell everyone why they’re a great place to work.

Completed in conjunction with WorkplaceDynamics, “The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News Top Workplaces 2011″ will be published in March 2011. Employers will be evaluated solely on the basis of their employee survey responses.

Deadline to register is September 15th, so don’t delay! You can learn more about participating and the survey by clicking here.

Although we’re still trying to wrap our head around the Philly blog tax (don’t miss Jen’s take on that!), we love our fair city located right here in the Keystone State of Pennsylvania. I for one have lived in a couple different regions of the state and although this clip pokes quite a bit of fun, I think many of you, like me, will come away with the warm and fuzzies (and more than a few laughs) for the state many of us know, love, live and work in.

It used to be that every website that represented “creative” groups had a website done in Adobe’s Flash. You’d find menus, pieces and targets bouncing all over the page like little movies that screamed “LOOK AT ME! AREN’T I CLEVER!” At Alstin, we did the same thing. It was fun and new, but once BobsHubcaps.com jumped on the Flash bandwagon, it was obvious that what was going on was a fad. As a creative agency, the last thing you want to do is what everyone else is doing.

Besides the theatrical mess that Flash allowed web-designers to implement, there were other problems as well. Some of our computers here have fans that only run when needed, and the only time you’d ever hear them kick in was when a Flash-based site was loading in the browser. You’d think a fairy was blowing leaves inside your computer while searching for the spinning beach-ball of death that she’d left on your display. I don’t think it’s an accident that “Flash” rhymes with “crash”. Sometimes, force-quit was the only way out.

To add to that, the little phenomenon known as the “iPhone” doesn’t support Flash (its siblings, the iPad and iPod touch don’t either). The reasoning behind that is supposedly the effect the previously mentioned reactions would have on battery life, but there are other reasons that have more to do with Apple’s bottom line. Regardless of the reason, if your website is done completely in Flash, millions of users can’t see it at all. In today’s economy, who can afford that?

Unfortunately, Flash has been the goto standard for embedding video on websites, so it appears that we’re stuck with it, no? No indeed! A little something called HTML5 has been brewing in the wings for sometime now, which not only does the simple tricks like embedding video, but it can do a bit of interactive motion work as well. Best of all? No fans and no beach-balls! That’s not to say there isn’t a place for Flash, but the days of watching “LOADING 25%” clips may be tapering off as we start to trade some of our overbearing style in for more underlying substance. At that point, I won’t hear the fan, I’ll be one.   - j

I’m a proud Philadelphian. I love my city…even with its bumps and bruises. Am I always fan of the government that runs the City of Brotherly Love? Not so much. When I got wind of Mashable’s post yesterday on the Philadelphia Blog tax, my ears perked up. (And a few unbelieving curse words popped out.)

So, I did what all bloggers do…I started out on a fact-finding mission and poked around to monitor ‘tone and feedback’ on what people were saying about this proposed tax:

• Three common words: Business privilege license.
• It’s a ‘one time payment’ that also affects freelance writers. (One time too many if you ask me.)
• No more Tax Amnesty Program to help answer citizens’ question. (I guess the city realized this program was counter-intuitive to their goals to squeeze every penny out of its citizens.)
• There could be a solution (of sorts) on the horizon in September.

Background facts:

According to the City Paper article Pay Up. Got a blog that makes no money? The city wants $300, thank you very much. by Valerie Rubinsky she highlights, “The city requires privilege licenses for any business engaged in any “activity for profit,” says tax attorney Michael Mandale of Center City law firm Mandale Kaufmann. This applies “whether or not they earned a profit during the preceding year,” he adds.”

The article continues to state:
According to Andrea Mannino of the Philadelphia Department of Revenue, in fact, simply choosing the option to make money from ads — regardless of how much or little money is actually generated — qualifies a blog as a business. The same rules apply to freelance writers. As former City Paper news editor Doron Taussig once lamented [Slant, "Taxed Out," April 28, 2005], the city considers freelancers — which both Bess and Barry are, in addition to their blog work — “businesses,” and requires them to pay for a license and pay taxes on their profits, on top of their state and federal taxes.

City Council members Bill Green and Maria Quiñones-Sánchez are planning on pitching a bill in September to reform the city’s business privilege tax “in an effort to make Philly a more attractive place for small businesses.” If it passes, bloggers will “still have to get a privilege license if their sites are designed to make money, but they would no longer have to pay taxes on their first $100,000 in profit. (If bloggers don’t want to fork over $300 for a lifetime license, Green suggests they take the city’s $50-a-year plan.)”

Tone and Feedback:

Well, you can imagine what some are saying on blogs and twitter…I’ll just insert a screen capture and you can go search “Philly Blog Tax” on twitter yourself…some of the expletives I can’t repeat here…

So, if you decided to be honest and report any income from AdSense or other ad revenues on your little (or big) blog—you’ve probably already received the letter everyone is talking about. Sit tight, I’m sure City Council will duke it out in September when they all get back from their month-long vacations (must be nice, huh?) Maybe if they spent a little more time doing the job they are paid to do (with Philly tax dollars, no less) they might be able to figure out better ways to generate revenue than taxing soda and bloggers. The politics that goes on within City Hall is insane.

That’s my two cents (which I’m sure I’ll be taxed on next year.)

In this age of iPhones, iPads and i-Gotta-Have-Its, techno toys are becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. They are an integral part of the way we ‘NET work–both professionally and socially–every day.

Try your hand at writing a creative headline/caption for this photo and it could win you a $25 iTunes Gift Card. (Extra points for relevance to employee recruitment or anything HR.)

The winner will be announced on Monday, 8/30/10 – good luck!

The other day I was in Jake’s, my favorite new sandwich shop, and in the next booth over were four young people having lunch. For the next ten minutes I watched as they texted furiously into their phones, their shoulders hunched and eyes narrowed, not pretending for a moment that the people they went to lunch with (or the outside world) existed. I thought a lot of things that day, namely:

• How will they ever learn to have a one-on one conversation with another person?
• How will they interview for a job?
• What’s so important that they need to text right now?
• Would they notice if I stole a french fry?

I find it so ironic that as a new world of communication tools have developed, we seem to be getting really, really bad at communicating with one another. That day at Jake’s also got me thinking about human resources and communications. The advances I’ve seen in just the last few years are incredible: robust Talent Acquisition Systems, mobile apps, social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, LinkedIn, etc., virtual events, recruiting blogs and so much more.

But maybe we all need to relax, take a breath and step back so we can see the whole canvas.

When it comes to employer marketing and communications, my advice to recruiters is to maybe focus more on WHAT you want to communicate, and less on HOW you’ll communicate that message.

Start here: What is it that you want to say, both to your employees and candidates? I know it sound head-smackingly obvious, but so many organizations blow over this process with little thought, or simply insert glib clichés (“employer of choice,” “best practices,” “Six Sigma,” “dedicated to premier quality and service,” “industry leader,” etc.)–and it always comes back to haunt them.

Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean there has to be nine months of navel-gazing, 40 different employee surveys, and hundreds of meetings with management. It does mean however, that before you embrace the next great HR trend or recruitment application, you spend some time thinking about what makes you desirable (or not) as an employer, what type of people you want working for you, and what your organization’s culture is truly like. Note: You need to be honest here. For example, some companies like to proclaim that they’re “family-friendly,” which sounds nice, but if EVERYONE, from management to employees to customers knows you’re not (unless by a family you mean a dysfunctional unit with lots of animosity and hostility), you’re doomed. Try to push this false image on your audience and you’ll waste time, money, and energy while losing credibility.

Another example: many HR Departments today say their goal is to deliver a great candidate experience. Okay. But can you clearly explain what that means?  How will you show it to the next candidate who applies? How will you measure it? To do it right, you’ll have to get into thornier questions like: How can we possibly deliver a great candidate experience when we’re understaffed now and we get 5000 applications a month?

It’s the same with recruitment communications. Who cares if with two taps on your mighty iPhone you can post a job in 16 different places if all that appears is a boilerplated, outdated job description? What’s the point of a creating a Facebook careers page if after the first month no one in your organization cares about updating it or communicating with candidates?

The truth is that there aren’t easy answers to these questions. In fact, they probably get right to the heart of your company’s culture, operations and focus. Still, it’s the message that really matters, so start with that. The tools to deliver that message will be ready when you are.

I’m going way back here, but I can still remember when CVS first started their ExtraCare reward card program and initially feeling a little wary about signing up. Whoa, wait a minute; do I really want CVS to go all Big Brother on me by keeping a detailed record of how many times I purchased mouth wash for some lousy coupons? You betcha. Over the years I have put that card to work for plenty of “ExtraBucks” and coupons – the perks of the program simply won out.

Now that location based social networking platforms like Foursquare and Gowalla are starting to take off, I wonder if the allure of exclusive discounts (like the new Foursquare promotion Ann Taylor just kicked off) at some of my favorite retailers will make me cave?

Foursquare is really the leader of the pack right now, so for this blog I am going to focus on its offerings. For many of you who answered our poll the other week admitting that these sort of services are just not on your radar yet, here’s a good primer on how Foursquare works in a quick minute:

While the idea of exclusive rewards and discounts hold the most appeal to me, I can relate on some level to the other pluses. If I still lived in center city – and didn’t go to bed most nights by 10p.m.- I could see myself using this as a great way to hook up with friends who were also out and about on the town. Having another fun, go-to destination right at my iPhone’s fingertips to find a friend-reviewed restaurant on the fly seems like a nice option too.

So what’s my review? Am I reaping all sorts of rewards? Loving all my new finds via Foursquare? OK, well not yet people. I’m still a little wary. I don’t know if I want – or need – all that info out there just yet. For me, the perks of Foursquare still have not won out. However, that can all change tomorrow, or when Whole Foods starts offering more than a measly gelato - totally agree with this blog over at SocialWayne.com. Sometimes being an early adopter of the latest, most buzzed about technology is what it is all about, and then some things I’ve found are just worth the wait.

On the same page? Want to convince me that the wait is over and I am being ridiculous? Let me know!

While I didn’t receive an invitation to Facebook’s Palo Alto campus on Wednesday to get “an update on the service’s features and products,” Jolie O’Dell from Mashable states that rumor has it the powers that be want to talk about location-based products.

So what could a geo-location offering on Facebook provide to users, advertisers and more importantly (for you) job seekers and employers? Well for one it enables small business owners (aka employers) the ability to market directly to people who potentially have ‘checked in’ on their location. Translation: you can market directly to people who reside or are employed directly within a mile radius of your location…a huge bonus for retailers, restaurant, hospitals and more.

Sites such as Gowalla and Foursquare already provide employers this opportunity but what they don’t do is promote their advertising (and targeting) capabilities to employers for recruitment advertising. Facebook has cornered the market to promoting their site as a potential recruitment vehicle. So, time will tell with these capabilities which will be announced tomorrow. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, a few articles I’ve found interesting in the past few days regarding  location-based API world:

Why Location-Based Social Media Needs to Get “Passive” Aggressive
Sites such as Gowalla and Foursquare need to embrace passive check-in systems in much the same way that marketers have embraced permission marketing, he argues. “Stopping whatever you’re doing to check in when you arrive at a location is just lame,” Thomas complains.

Beyond Foursquare: 5 Location-Based Apps for Small Businesses
Foursquare is teaming up with megabrands like Starbucks and Jimmy Choo, but smaller businesses can find a niche with smaller location-based services, as well.

And, stay tuned for Annette DeHaven’s post on Wednesday about Foursquare.

Inspired by the trailer for the upcoming film about Facebook, The Social Network  (How’s this for a tag line: “You don’t get 500 million friends without making some enemies.”) this spoof offers up some good laughs. Although I am a huge fan of Twitter and can argue it’s many merits ad nauseum, the trailer for The Twit Network is pretty darn hilarious. I’d give it four stars.

Our favorite new sandwich shop is Jake’s Sandwich Board, located just 2 blocks from our office. They are truly artists of great sandwiches. Here’s their website where you can learn more and see their fantastic menu.

Recently, the fine folks at Jake’s issued their Philly challenge, and it’s not for the faint of heart—or stomach. Here it is:

Think you have what it takes? Write to me at trosato@alstin.com. We’ll select one “winner” and we’ll pick up the $35 tab for the challenge. Win or lose, you’ll be forever immortalized on Jake’s wall of fame/shame and your story will be featured in one of my upcoming blog posts.

I am one of those people who hates when bathing suits are displayed in the stores in February. I get physically ill when back-to-school supplies are advertised on the same page as beach chairs. But when it comes to focusing on Christmas in July, I’m all for it — especially when it involves QVC.

Am I a super-organized bargain hunter seeking Today’s Special Value stocking stuffers? No, I am a sometimes-creatively-stifled-copywriter who LOVES wrapping her brain around QVC’s Seasonal Hiring Campaign/Employee Referral Program.

Every year for as long as I can remember (and I’ve been at Alstin for sixteen years), our Creative Services department has had the pleasure of getting our holiday joy on way before the rest of the world is even thinking about mistletoe and merrymaking.

Our HR clients at QVC usually expect a few ideas to choose from. No problem there. Once the jingle bells in our minds start ringing, the ideas flow faster than the drinks at Alstin’s once-infamous holiday parties.

Though the economy has cut down on our office’s end-of-year festivities, it’s nice to know one of the largest multimedia retailers in the world is still filling their chairs and warehouses with nice, warm bodies. By the end of July, QVC’s Human Resources team has selected the creative campaign they like best — polling those in the West Chester, PA headquarters, their counterparts in Lancaster, PA, and those in North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Texas, and South Carolina for their favorite — and visions of the campaign/ERP launch are dancing in their heads. Though it’s still sweaty and humid in the West Chester area, it’s prime time to staff a workforce that will enable QVC to ensure great gifting to the more than 98 million U.S. households their programming reaches each year.

Rather than just relying on local advertising, QVC lets their employees search out and refer potential elves. Did you know that ERPs are THE most cost-effective way to hire quality candidates? The retailer also reconnects with people who’ve worked for them in the past. And, every employee who refers someone who is hired is not only eligible for a referral bonus — he/she is entered in the company’s $500 ERP Reward Sweepstakes. Please. Santa should be taking notes!

Wondering what Alstin came up with this year? Check out the video we created — which made it really quick and easy for all of QVC’s various human resources departments to see the new creative and “vote” on it.

It’s never too early for a great hiring strategy. Or a really fun campaign. On my wish list? Five more clients like QVC.

Though a QVC gift card would be nice, too

Last week, I added a quick survey to the a-team blog that posed three questions on how you’re using social media these days. I only promoted the poll via social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, this blog) and an email blast to our regular readers, so it was no surprise that results showed that the majority are using, or are at least starting to use, this form of media in their overall employer branding strategy. I was also happy to see that I’m not the only one who hasn’t given Foursquare a fair shake yet. Although with this announcement I know I’m getting on the bandwagon this weekend.

For those of you who answered, “Huh? What you talking about Willis.” to that question on geolocation platforms, be sure to come back around to the blog next week where I’ll be giving a basic primer on what Foursquare is all about.

wibiya sharing toolbar

Notice the ever-increasing ‘sharing toolbars’ at the bottom of web pages you are browsing? Some are powered by Wibiya, others powered by Meebo. But, they all have the same common purpose: to integrate with your website and provide visitors sharing tools without ever having to leave your website therefore increasing the time a visitor spends on your website.

Readers can tweet, write on your Facebook page and share your content on Facebook. Readers can also search your latest tweets and view ‘tweeted’ content about the page they are reading. Add ons such as “Latest Post” or “Real Time Users” or a custom menu help to increase page views and traffic to your web content. Some tool bars enable you to communicate back to your website visitors through broadcast messages, notifications and alerts (all in real time) as well as participate in live chat rooms.

Now the $1,000,000 question: Do people click on these tool bar functions? Or, do visitors/readers view them as an annoyance because they slow down the page load and are distracting?

TechCrunch.com states  “According to Quantcast, Wibiya is seeing 151 million monthly visitors to its toolbars. In contrast, Quantcast also reports that Meebo is currently seeing 143 million monthly visitors. Currently, Wibiya has more than 70,000 active websites using its toolbar, including TheStreet, TheOnion, Playboy, Philly.com, JellyBelly.com and more. Wibiya says that nearly 1000 new websites are adding the toolbar per day.”

Well, no offense to Quantcast, I decided to perform my own research study. (well, ok my sample study isn’t going to get me in the research publications) on Twitter regarding the use of toolbars didn’t result in a huge backlash of ‘hate tweets.’ A good sign. I asked around my friends and family…some didn’t even notice the tool bar on the site – not a ringing endorsement but not altogether negative. And, the average feedback, I was given, was “seems pretty cool.”

So…as a person who is always looking for new tools to use and recommend for the recruiting world of human resources…when will these sharing toolbars become popular (and even available) within applicant tracking systems and/or on the career sections of web sites? As a human resources professional, wouldn’t you like it if a visitor to your career site had the ability to ‘share’ via a plethora of social media tools your job postings to their network of tweeps, friends and followers? Wouldn’t it be great if you could dedicate 1 hour to ‘live chat’ with people visiting your microsite or other website? Wouldn’t it be great to be able to connect with your Twitter followers and your Facebook fans directly through a toolbar on your career site?

The possibilities of morphing what predominantly was creating as a marketing tool are endless within the recruitment world as well. Do you have any ‘toolbar’ sharing tips or tales? What is your opinion? Would you implement a ‘sharing toolbar’ yesterday if it meant you could increase your visibility with targeted skill sets? Share your comments!

We’re curious over here at Alstin about how our blog readers – many of them our dear friends and partners in HR – are currently using social media.

We’re also fans of short surveys. This one is very short. There are three multiple choice questions after the jump about what you consider your level of expertise to be, how you plan to use social media in the future and what you think about of some of the newer things hitting the market.

Many of us here at Alstin can’t get enough of the stuff – some of us admit that we can’t keep pace and others have absolutely no interest in joining the social media bandwagon.

Where do you fall into that mix? Give us about 10 seconds and take Alstin’s quick survey on how you’re using social media today by clicking here. Next week we’ll publish the results, so y’all come back now – thanks!

Back in May, I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Social Media Success Summit. All of the sessions provided valuable information, resources and tips from industry experts. (The prerecorded sessions certainly came in handy! The ability to pause sessions when work interruptions occurred…which they frequently do…was also a terrific feature) So,  when I heard the news from Michael Stelzner at SocialMediaExaminer.com that they were organizing a Facebook Marketing Summit I thought the timing was perfect.

Facebook hit 500 million users on July 22^nd, their OpenGraph platform enables businesses to market themselves to their audience in ways never before imagined, they continue to give Google a run for their money (quite literally), and the Facebook community continues to expand with newer capabilities (such as the Facebook Questions feature).

Just a quick summary of the event you’re not going to want to miss:

Facebook Success Summit 2010 is a live online conference designed to help you master Facebook marketing, empowering you to quickly connect with customers (and prospects) using the #1 social network in the world, Facebook. The industry’s leading Facebook pros will show you how. Join 22 experts, including Brian Solis (author, Engage!), Mari Smith (co-author, Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day), Justin Smith (Inside Facebook), Jesse Stay (author, FBML Essentials), Paul Dunay (author, Facebook Marketing for Dummies); experts from Intel, Microsoft Xbox, Cisco, the Washington Redskins and SAP; Darren Rowse (Author, Problogger), Jay Baer (Author, The Now Revolution), and Michael Stelzner (Social Media Examiner)—just to mention a few (scroll down to see full list)! Event runs October 5th to October 26th (fully online).

So read more about the event and get connected to the leaders in the Facebook marketing world! I hope to ‘see’ you there!

With social media and other forms of Internet usage being integral to our daily recruiting and sourcing work lives, it got me to thinking about workers’ personal use of the Internet in the workplace in 2010. While an issue for over 15 years, it seems that Internet abuse on company time has reached epidemic proportions, yet employee productivity has gone through the roof. It’s increasingly harder to make sense of Internet access at work and getting the most from your employees. 

Consider a trio of recent studies done by a web-monitoring firm, an anti-virus company and the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Cyclope-Series, which produces computer monitoring software, found that 24% of employees spend more than one hour on social networks during working hours and are checking personal email up to 5 times per day. Interestingly, you’d think that the study would be biased since the company is selling productivity software to employers but the employees in the study knew they’d be monitored and even signed agreements permitting the recorded activity.

Trend-Micro, makers of anti-virus software conducted a similar study and found that 66% of employees checked personal email, 51% browsed websites not directly related to their jobs, 39% did personal online banking, and 31% made a non-business related online purchase.

Certainly if you’re looking at all this activity from an employer’s perspective it seems like the majority of workers are slackers. But how to explain record worker productivity? Enter the University of Melbourne. Flying in the face of conventional wisdom, researchers there have amazingly found that employees who use the Internet at work for personal reasons are 9% more productive than employees who don’t. They reason that perhaps surfing the Internet for pleasure or personal reasons increases worker’s concentration levels or eases anxiety about other parts of their lives, enabling them to concentrate more on their work. “People need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration,” said Dr. Brent Coker from the University of Melbourne’s Department of Management and Marketing. “Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf of the Internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a days work, and as a result, increased productivity.” Of course, even the researchers admit there are limits. Workers spending 20% or more of their time at the office watching YouTube or bidding on eBay auctions aren’t likely to be improving their productivity.

As with everything in life the whole issue comes down to one of moderation. Short personal breaks on the Internet seem to be okay but overuse cuts into meaningful work. The solution, as it’s always been, is strong management and personal oversight. However, in today’s technologically connected world perhaps companies feel their management has become overtaxed and are fighting technology with technology. Cyclope-Series has found that in 2009 54% of US companies have decided to block social networks at work.

In the “that-happened-yesterday-who-cares-about-it-now” age we live in, I was really glad this article caught my eye. I’m referring to a detailed, even-handed and informed criticism of ESPN’s handling of the LeBron James trade saga, also known as “The Decision.” What made this article special was that it was written by one of their own: Don Ohlmeyer, who is ESPN’s official “Ombudsman.” The link is here, and I strongly encourage you to read it. You’ll find that Ohlmeyer is very critical (as I think he was right to be) about ESPN’s handling of The Decision and pulls no punches when it comes to the network’s numerous mistakes and serious journalistic integrity lapses leading up to, and during, the over-hyped event.

What makes for a good ombudsman like Ohlmeyer? The definition of an ombudsman is one “who investigates complaints and mediates fair settlements,” but I think it of more as a “tell it like it is person,” someone who is immune from—or above—any influence or corruption from the organization he comments on. No killing the messenger here, this person is expected to speak the truth without corporate-speak, prejudice or fear of retribution. When it works, when the person is truly impartial, and truly free to say what he or she wants, it’s great. I actually think more highly of ESPN as an organization for having someone like Ohlmeyer as an ombudsman—though do I think his piece deserved more prominent placement on the ESPN website.

How about in the corporate world? In my opinion, a good ombudsman is something a CEO would covet, as a strong leader wants honest feedback but very often doesn’t receive it, hearing mostly from yes-men or having to work with watered-down, distorted information. A report in SHRM states that a corporate ombudsman is still a rather rare commodity. I think that’s unfortunate, especially with large corporations, as a good ombudsman can give voice to employees or a community that wouldn’t normally have access to top management. Some companies set up an ombudsman program as a result of a legal ruling but SHRM claims most organizations create them voluntarily. If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, the answer if yes, BP does have an ombudsman.

The danger of a corporate ombudsman program? If the person in that role is simply there for show, serves as a mouthpiece for top management, can’t speak freely or faces retribution, that’s worse than having no program at all. Many media and news outlets have had an ombudsman for decades, and it’s always been considered a very important position in a one-newspaper city, or a place where a single media outlet dominates the news dissemination for a region.

Does your company have an ombudsman, be it official or unofficial? Do your employees know about this person and how are his/her comments communicated? What would you say to your CEO if you were appointed the role of ombudsman?

Daily living within social media comes with its challenges. One of the challenges that I struggle with is automation vs. personal engagement and the grey area that lies in between. I’ve set up Facebook Pages that sync with new blog posts, Twitter feeds that are loaded within Facebook and within a column within the blog. I’ve synced YouTube and Flickr and Facebook “likes” and Twitter updates to LinkedIn status. You name it, if there’s a method to automatically link/sync/feed into another social media channel, I’ve done it.

Why do we do this? Because there is an exponential strength in being able to connect to your visitors, viewers and fans within the social media channel of their preference. And, it enhances your ability to expand your viral marketing reach. But, I often wonder with all of this syncing and automation, am I missing the true point of authentic engagement within each channel?

Sure, I monitor the blog comments, facebook status likes and feedback and oversee Twitter tweets and RTs in HootSuite. And, I’m also sending out interesting articles I’ve reviewed in my Google Reader and tidbits I’ve discovered and replying back to the feedback I read and sometimes the volume is just enough to feel overwhelming and exhilarating at the same time.

So, while trying to maximize efficiencies with automation the trick is to find the balance between making certain tasks automated while still enabling for personal engagement.

One tip I find very useful in sharing an RSS feed that I always seem to come back to time and time again for quality content is to set this feed up in my HootSuite desktop and tweet out every 3 hours the latest news article. I automatically insert “Interesting News:” before each auto-tweet to alert my followers and others to the content of my tweet. I check out the tweets and topics in my Sent column of HootSuite daily just to be sure I’m not “spamming” out there. So far I’ve found this is a great way to share news and gain followers and start the conversation.

So, my Google Reader continues to be an integral component to my social media marketing strategy. If you have any tips for automation or strong feelings on this issue, please comment! Or tweet to me @JenHitchens.

Did you ever see the old Twilight Zone episode The Eye of the Beholder? It’s a classic. The episode is set in a hospital and is focused on a woman whose face is completely bandaged. The doctors and nurses talk in hushed voices about this being her 11th procedure to help her look “normal.” You never see their faces either until the dramatic climax. The bandages are removed revealing a very pretty woman, however the medical staff’s reaction is one of horror – and we are ultimately horrified when we get a load of them. The hospital staff is revealed and they all have crazy pig snout noses and very disfigured and disturbing faces.

The episode concludes with these words:

Now the questions that come to mind. Where is this place and when is it? What kind of world where ugliness is the norm and beauty the deviation from that norm? You want an answer? The answer is, it doesn’t make any difference. Because the old saying happens to be true: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in this year or a hundred years hence, on this planet or wherever there is human life, perhaps out amongst the stars. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A lesson to be learned— in The Twilight Zone.

So what happens when the eye of the beholder is a recruiter? A beautiful resume doesn’t always land a candidate a job. We all have heard and experienced first hand – whether on a job hunt or in hiring mode – that that an engaging smile, firm handshake and tasteful clothing matter for that critical first impression. However, how much does beauty really matter when a candidate walks through the door?

NEWSWEEK recently surveyed hiring managers and job seekers about the role of beauty in the workplace. The results? Looks matter. Do you agree with these findings? Be sure to let us know.

54% of hiring managers advised spending as much time and money on looking good as perfecting a resume.

Two thirds of business managers said they believe some managers would hesitate before hiring a qualified job candidate who was significantly overweight.

64% of hiring managers said they believe companies should be allowed to hire people based on looks when the job requires an employee to be the “face” of a company at retail stores or in sales.

57% of hiring managers believe the unattractive have it harder at work; while 68% believe that looks impact the way managers rate job performance.

47% of all hiring managers said that they believe some women are penalized for being too good-looking in the office.

I wish the title of this post was really my band name and 1st album title but alas it’s not. Debt, debt, and more debt. We are in a serious amount of debt globally, nationally, and as individuals. All of whom I can expand on in upcoming posts but for now I reserve my dismay at the situation in Europe or, more precisely, the PIIGS – a nasty acronym relating to sovereign debt markets used by financial types likes bond analysts, the international press and academics alike when referring to the economies of Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain.

There has been much written and said in the past year about the PIIGS but just how bad is it? This article from the Economist (from May2010) sums it up nicely replete with charts and interactive graphics showing just how messed up troubled the euro-zone PIIGS are.

Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain share the currency (the euro) and an ugly acronym (the PIIGS). Each lost competitiveness after 1999, seeing prices and wages rise more quickly than the euro-area average. As members of the euro, the PIIGS cannot devalue their currencies, making the struggle out of recession harder. Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain share the currency (the euro) and an ugly acronym (the PIIGS). Each lost competitiveness after 1999, seeing prices and wages rise more quickly than the euro-area average. As members of the euro, the PIIGS cannot devalue their currencies, making the struggle out of recession harder.

Add high wage costs, poor productivity, love of cheap imports, and running of huge deficits, the perfect storm many have predicted, is finally here. The economic havoc she reeks worldwide is evident and more remains to be seen but the fiscal health of the PIIGS will remain in question as concerns about the health of banks in Europe have escalated and the tenuous fiscal and financial conditions continue to weigh on the Euro. On the sorta bright side, the dollar has gained in recent months in large part to Europe’s woes and the resilience of our own economy.

The debt crisis is very, very real. And while the battle rages on in DC on whether to practice austerity or stimulate the economy with more state aid, unemployment benefits, small business loans, etc, the regular folks are left to pick up the pieces of a battered economy. But at least the problems are no longer being hidden or shuffled, all this bad news has been out there plain as day. OK world, accountability is the order of the decade. Time to move on…and up from here.

As someone who is closing in on 20 years in advertising, I get it: commercials are meant to sell a product or service (or image), and I certainly have nothing against embellishment, extrapolation and laying it on thick. But some of these commercials are so brazen in their claims, I had to laugh. I hope you will too.

1. Hellmann’s Mayonnaise

As parents, we all struggle with what’s most important in our home and what we want to teach our children: kindness, respect for others, responsibility, compassion, honor, morality, etc. I never knew I was missing the biggest ethic of all–mayonnaise. All might look sugar-sweet in this commercial, but I swear I’ve never seen a baby so scared of his grandma. I also love the huge, beautiful banquet on the table and right in the center of it all: a jar of mayonnaise. Still, “It wouldn’t be home without Hellmann’s.”

2. Skippy Peanut Butter

We’ve all heard of subliminal advertising; this one is outright hypnosis. I’m not sure how this idea didn’t get shot down at the agency; to my naive way of thinking, creepy mind control might not be the best way to sell a product. Oh well, it’s 10:19, I’d better get to my grocer and buy 2 jars of Skippy.

3. Schaefer Beer

Oh the joys of drinking alone! Herbie is positively giddy listening to his beer bottle serenading him. Of course, the wife has to ruin all the fun. Maybe once your beer starts talking to you, it’s time to head to a meeting.

4. Stripe Toothpaste

The commercial opens with a congressional report stating that tooth decay is caused by germs (your tax dollars at work). But the real reason to buy Stripe is that because of the cool stripe, your children will be more willing to brush their teeth. Okay…

5. Camel Cigarettes

When you use the tagline, “More Doctors Smoke Camel Than Any Other Cigarette,” there really isn’t anything else to say.

Be sure to come back to this blog regularly to see future installments of Old Commercials to Make You Smile…and Cringe!

There are good and bad ways to stand out from the crowd.

Really bad.

Really, really bad.

When it comes to your resume, make it good. Sometimes standing out from the crowd in a good way can be as simple as having the only resume with no typos. This person’s resume made a list dubbed the 70+ Most Artistic and Creative Resumes of All Time. I picked it for my never ending love of vinyl and it’s overall good design, however the other 69 are pretty impressive and worth a diversion in your day too, so be sure to check them out.

In one of many promotions designed to hype the season premier of Mad Men, fans of the show can now find out if they’ve got what it takes to join the team over at the newly formed Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in this fun time killer mock interview. See if you make the cut and where you fit in by taking the interview here. Season 3 premiers Sunday, 7/25 at 10pm!

I’m a member of many groups on LinkedIn. Like many of you, I’m sure receive dozens of emails every day updating you about your LinkedIn Group activities, hundreds of email newsletters you’ve subscribed to and hundreds of other emails each day. All of these email alerts probably could provide some value to what you do on a day-to-day basis…if only you had time to dedicate to read every single one.

So, when a discussion thread popped up on my radar from my group, Recruiting in Social Media,  that highlighted “6 Social Media Mistakes Your Company Should Avoid” caught my eye.

Just prior to reading the article, I was feeling like my brain was on information overload…over tired, overbooked and overwhelmed. So the word “avoid” popped out in my eyes. Sarah Hartshorn had some great ideas in this article.

One idea popped out to me (and my current mental state), “Tailor your strategy to each platform before you implement.”

This is a key component not many HR (or anyone else for that matter) understand. It’s not about adding hundreds of fans in an hour using a PPC campaign or thousands of followers in two days through services like TweetAdder (although, these type of automation software does have it’s place in any campaign…just not the driver’s seat). You must be genuine. You must be authentic. If anything I’ve learned from the hundreds of webinars I’ve viewed or conferences I’ve attended, this concept of a ‘platform specific campaign’ is essential. What works on Facebook to your unique audience might not work as well on Twitter or Digg.

So, what’s an HR person to do in this social media craze for recuitment exposure? Look to experience. Look to seasoned professionals (ahem, like Alstin). Watch, observe and learn and THEN plan your strategy. Social media takes time. And, yes, it can be overwhelming at first but stay the course and the results will follow.

Connect with me on Twitter @JenHitchens if you’d like to chat about this topic or post your comments below on some areas that are a challenge to you within social media recruiting!

Social media has been a game changer. It’s made us rethink how we like our news delivered. How we prefer to communicate with each other. And how we portray ourselves to the world. Personal brands are no longer resigned to the famous.

For many of us our personal brands are connected to our professional identities. For example, my handle on Twitter is @AnnetteatAlstin. I use Twitter to share happenings at Alstin, links back to this blog, contests we’re running and all around interesting HR or social media news I come across. Sometimes though, that can be a little monotonous. I tweet more personal sidebars about my comings and goings at work too — a great restaurant I tried in Center City for lunch, a funny video, or being stuck on a late Septa train. It all needs to be pretty innocuous stuff because these tweets are not all about me, it’s all about me at Alstin.

Read this tweet from former CNN Senior Editor of Mideast Affaris, Octavia Nasr who was using this Twitter handle, @OctaviaNasrCNN:

Nasr, who invested 20 years of her career at CNN, was ultimately fired for her tweet about Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah who has been described by the AP as, “staunchly anti-American and linked to bombings that killed more than 260 Americans.”

After her firing Nasr posted an explanation, apology and remorse for her tweet saying:

It was an error of judgment for me to write such a simplistic comment and I’m sorry because it conveyed that I supported Fadlallah’s life’s work. That’s not the case at all. It’s something I deeply regret.

Her firing has been controversial. Stephen M. Walt, a professor of International Relations at Harvard Kennedy School, pointed out in an editorial, “plenty of American journalists and politicians have shown ‘respect’  for various world figures with hands far bloodier … but it didn’t cost them their jobs.”

Thinking back on my blog discussing  the ”Cisco Fatty” tweet and the importance social media policies (and common sense), my first question on all this was:  What are CNN’s social media guidelines for employees?

 So I Googled, found their policy and it reads:

Don’t list preferences regarding political parties or newsmakers that are the subject of CNN reporting. Unless given permission to comment publicly on the issues or people we report on as a CNN analyst or commentator, it is important that you and all other CNN employees be independent and objective regarding the news and people that we cover. If you publicly declare your preference for issues or candidates or one side or the other of the public policy issues CNN reports on, then your ability to be viewed as objective is compromised.

With the delicate balance of reporting in the Middle East, it seems that Nasr is correct in copping to making an error in judgment. Even with very clear social media policies, I don’t think we’ve seen the first or the last of these sort of firings in the forseable future. We are human after all. In the mean time though, please, whatever you do,  don’t follow any of these examples.

For the most part, I prefer to spend my reading time in the world of make-believe, vastly preferring fiction to well, reality. Every once in a while, though, something from the land of non-fiction really grabs my interest. This time it was Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. The book expands on his famous Atlantic cover story, Is Google Making Us Stupid? where he posed the question: Are we losing our ability to read and think deeply?

The premise is that the scattered, multi-tasking and distracted lives we live have been proliferating for decades, and that now we have—with the Internet–the perfect medium for scattering our attention. Carr says to think of it as trying to read a book while doing a crossword puzzle.

The genesis of him writing the book, and the part that really resonated for me, can be found on Page 5:

“Over the last few years I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain. My mind isn’t going—so far as I can tell—but it’s changing. I’m not thinking the way I used to think. I feel it most strongly when I’m reading. I used to find it easy to immerse myself in a book or a lengthy article. My mind would get caught up in the twists of the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration starts to drift after a page or two. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel like I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle.”

Sound familiar? It sure did to me. What I really liked was the balance in the book–this isn’t a trash piece on the Net—in fact, Carr spends a lot of time talking about technological innovations through history as well as the great benefits of the Internet (obviously an invaluable tool for a reporter). He goes on:

“The boons are real. But they come at a price. Media aren’t just channels of information. They supply the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought. And what the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. Whether I’m online or not, my mind now expects to take information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles. Once I was a scuba diver in a sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.”

Whether we want to admit it or not, the Internet and emerging information technology carries an ethos to it. With books, the focus is on deep, contemplative thought. With the Internet, it’s the rapid, hyper-distracted sampling of small bits of info from multiple sources.  Now that we’re all getting used to the Internet as part of our daily lives, we’re getting better at scanning and skimming, but at the risk of losing our capacity for concentration, contemplation and reflection.

Obviously, the implications are scary—as we become used to constant interruption (how many emails have popped up on your screen while you’ve read this? How many times has your iPhone buzzed? Your TweetDeck chirped?) we may even lose the ability to tune into more subtle forms of human emotion like empathy and compassion.

To hear a radio interview with Carr about The Shallows, click here.

My opinion? There’s really no going back, and it’s naïve to think the technology we use in our daily lives will regress. Still, I believe (as Carr states) that we can get better at both types of thinking, so I’m going to make more of an effort to have that quiet, unplugged, contemplative time. How about you? Have you felt your ability to concentrate slipping? What do you do about it? Please comment below!

Top Three Summertime Sources for Creative Inspiration

If you’ve read my “Five Simple Steps to Greatly Increasing Your Creativity,” you know that I’m big on “Creating Your Own Inspiration.” In fact, that’s one of my Five Simple Steps. Years spent meeting agency deadlines have taught me that inspiration is usually sparked by hard work, not the other way around. In my personal quest to create more art, I have been striking out in search of things that personally inspire me. Summer is here. Don’t let this season pass you by without exploring how it can uniquely inspire you too. Here are my Top Three Summertime Sources for Creative Inspiration:

1. Send Yourself Back to School
So many courses. So little time. I’m lucky enough to live in an area that is rich with art schools. Every time I receive a course catalog from one of these schools – from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts to Main Line Art Center – I salivate over the classes that are offered. This semester I actually did something about it and signed up for “Image Transfer Techniques” with Andrea Snyder. Knowing the various techniques to transfer images to artwork will add a new, strong tool to my creative repertoire. Is it convenient to come home from work and head directly to a three hour evening class? Absolutely not – some nights I have to drag myself there. But once I’m there, I find myself re-entering that elusive creative “flow” – the feeling of being fully immersed in what I’m doing. Lots of new ideas are flowing as well. I’m excited by what I’m learning and doing. Busy schedules aside, for me nothing beats an art class to get you inspired.

2. Find a Mentor
Before I embraced this advice, I hated hearing it. How exactly do you go about finding a mentor? And what do you say to them once you track one down? It always seemed phony and unrealistic to me to pursue a mentor in the traditionally advised sense. So I’ve adapted this advice in a way that works for me. I consider my mentor Scott Kelby. He’s a world-renowned author on digital photography and all things Photoshop. He’s also the President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. I’ve also never spoken to him or met him. So how is it that I’ve never met the guy but I consider Scott Kelby my mentor? He transfers his know-how through multiple accessible channels, including books (more than 35), podcasts, web sites and magazines. He is an expert in my primary areas of creative pursuit and he is able to convey his knowledge in a way that I find both compelling and easy to understand. To me that’s the definition of a mentor. This summer, I’m rereading his “Digital Photography Book” and directly applying what I’m learning from him into my photographs. Spend some time finding somebody who inspires you in your own creative pursuits. Even if you don’t have the opportunity to meet the best in your field, you can still tap into their knowledge.

3. Two Words: Road Trip!
For me, nothing beats a road trip for seeing things in new ways – literally. I’m just back from nearly 900 miles on the road. A trip that took me from Philadelphia to North Carolina and back. Stops along the way included Hatteras, Ocracoke Island, Chincoteague, and Ocean City, Maryland. Everywhere I went I was inspired. From photographing wild ponies in Chincoteague to gathering sand for future projects from the beaches of Hatteras – I didn’t go anywhere without coming away with new ideas. Wherever the road takes you this summer, commit yourself to discovering new ways of being creative along the way.

So here I am, armed with new knowledge of transfer techniques, hundreds of photos, and several bags of sand. Will great art result? Who knows? But I’m definitely inspired to find out.

In these days of Skype, text, and instant messaging, email, conference calls & social media, has the art of the in-person meeting gone out of style?

Everyone’s busy on a daily basis. Our days are so filled with work, family, extra-curricular activities and basic maintenance, many of us often proclaim that there isn’t enough time in a day to keep up. So we find ourselves multitasking, ultimately using email and IM’ing to communicate throughout the work day to keep things moving along smoothly and systematically. But if we eliminate the occasional face-to-face meeting from our agenda completely, can we really get the job done to its full potential?

I’ve found that meeting with a client in-person often proves to set a project on the right path more so than direction via any other medium. Speaking to the client team involved offers you the chance to get the perspectives that count and receive their motivation in a more clear and passionate explanation. Designating a time to discuss specific plans face-to-face provides an opportunity to share information in an animated conversation that is supplemented with facial expression, body language and tone of voice. We’ve all experienced the misconceptions that may occur in the reading of an email (Do you take writing in ALL CAPS for a harsh yelling tone? Or does cryptic messaging sometimes sound slick and sarcastic when you’re IM’ing back and forth?). True intentions that sometimes get lost in the writing, could easily be construed in a simple conversation. You can get more done in a face-to-face meeting than electronically, because there is a connection that comes with physical presence that not only allows the flow of communication to come through in a more vivid conversation style, but also provides access to further information brought on by simple observation.

Engagement in carefree conversation adds that element of understanding and personalizes the interaction. This contributes to the transfer of information and ultimately helps build relationships. Connecting in-person is key in developing good relationships, and people are more inclined to do business with those whom they have a relationship with. Social Media is a prime aspect in the business practices today, but it should be balanced with face-to-face interaction. The in-person meeting gives all involved a better sense of what each other is about. Think about it – would you make a hire based solely on the strength of a resume/application? Or do you require a 1st, 2nd, and sometimes 3rd interview before making the final decision?

The latest forms of communication are valuable, effective and necessary in the evolution of business tactics today, but we must not obliterate the tried and true practice of engaging in-person. It’s only natural to prefer to do business with those you know, like, and trust. Good business requires a mix of online and physical collaboration. There is a strength in having all bases covered.

I’ll admit it, I’m an “Apple Addict.” I first fell in love with my beige Mac G3 mini-tower back in the late 90s. I admonished PC users and thought the “I am a Mac” commercials  were laugh out loud hilarious. I still point out, to this day, to my stepdad (a Microsoft martyr) that the Microsoft “Windows 7 Was My Idea” commercials are completely ironic because every ‘feature’ that is touted in those commercials was a Mac function about 3+ years ago. (Let me tell you, pointing this fact out, does NOT make for good dinner conversation.)

So, when I saw on the news last night that the iPhone 4 has flaws, it made me pause. Had I invested too much energy and enthusiasm into Apple ? Was the new iPhone really as bad as I had seen on YouTube?

“Argh,” I thought. Here I spent years defending a company, their vision and passion to rebuke people who said, “Stupid iPhone!” And, look at where my loyalty has led me…down the road where Consumer Reports “can’t recommend the iPhone4.”

So, Steve Jobs, “Watcha gonna do?” Because holding the phone another way isn’t going to cut it. And some crazy ‘Bumper’ at $29.00 is just as ridiculous a solution as inserting golf balls and shredded tires into the BP oil debacle.

I also thought it was interesting that Apple was reportedly posting antenna engineer job opportunities (Hmmmm. One person’s tragedy is another person’s treasure?)

So, while I continue to battle with my own aging Macbook…which is taking longer and longer to manage multiple tasks simultaneously (and also  sounds like it’s going to take flight due to the whirling noise of the ‘soon-to-be’ broken fan), I’ll continue to support Apple.

Perhaps there is at least a small silver lining to this issue?Maybe a few out-of-work engineers will get an opportunity to work for a visionary employer (who occasionally takes a stumble).

Call me an optimist. Enjoy your Tuesday!

Oh, and if you’re looking for some great social media events coming up this summer, click here!

And if you want to view the Consumer Reports video…here ya go:

Employment-at-will, the HR law of the land in most states, is often cited as follows: “The employer is free to discharge individuals for good cause, or bad cause, or no cause at all and the employee is equally free to quit, strike, or otherwise cease work.”

There are a lot of other definitions and summaries, but the one that always stuck in my head is, “You can be fired for a good reason, a bad reason or no reason, just not an illegal reason.”

I remember when I first started working in the industry—I thought: Really? The law says it’s okay to be fired for a bad reason? Even NO reason? Like after 50 years of employment I could be fired because I have on a yellow shirt that day and my boss hates yellow? I could be fired because they can’t stand the sound of my voice anymore? Because if they have to look at my face one more time they’ll go crazy? I could be fired because…well, just because? What is this, a marriage? (just kidding, honey).

Of course, being fired for a shirt color or other ridiculous reason is rare, and often in these scenarios the employee will contend that these “at-will” reasons are used as a cover for an illegal dismissal. It’s not the fact that Joe has on a yellow shirt but because Joe is older and due a pension. Not because we hate the sound of Sally’s voice, but because Sally is pregnant.

Of course, under employment-at-will, the employee has the same rights. A worker is equally free to leave his job at any time, for a good reason, bad reason or no reason. In most cases, an employee can get up from his/her desk and walk out the door with no repercussions.

Obviously, so many people lost their jobs over the last few years—and yes, some because they were low performers, but I think in most cases business conditions were so awful their companies simply couldn’t afford to keep them any longer.

Now here’s a new wrinkle that’s a product of that lousy economy: I’ve read a few disturbing articles stating that because most companies are so desperate to show their customers, shareholders and vendors that their business is rebounding, some are using “creative” firings and terminations–since a round of layoffs would signal weakness when they need to project strength. If these people are not in a protected class or are not being dismissed for discriminatory/illegal reasons, they have little recourse.

My perspective? I think overall, employment-at-will makes a lot of sense, and is fair and just for both sides–but like everything involving laws or policies there are always a few groups that try to abuse the law—and we need to keep an eye on them. For now, just don’t wear your yellow shirt to work.

Here’s some good employment news for you: Gallup’s Job Creation Index has remained more positive in recent weeks than at any point since the fall of 2008. However, the American people still feel like they are on shaky ground. Check out these numbers:

The availability of jobs plays a key role in how we view the state of the economy and while jobless rates may have declined, so did payrolls in June. Rather than end on deflating news, Gallup further reported, “Even while the average American has become more negative when asked to assess the state of the economy, U.S. workers remain more likely to report that their employers are hiring rather than firing.”  How can we gain our confidence back? If we can hold steady on that trend, we’re on our way.

Last night, after heading home from a day at Alstin on the R3 train I opened the door to my now oven-like car and saw on my dashboard a reading of 107 degrees outside. Man, it’s hot here in Philly! Another 100+ degree day is on tap this Wednesday. Besides staying in the AC and drinking lots of water, be glad that you are not this Philadelphia worker who has laid claim to having the hottest job in the county.

You’ve got to love Saheed Dillard’s deadpan delivery describing his typical work day spent atop a steam roller applying super hot asphalt, “You feel like you’re sitting on a grill and I am the hamburger or the hot dog.”  We hope Saheed doesn’t get too charred today and for the rest of us stuck in this heat wave, stay cool!

I’ve had an article saved in my browser window for a few weeks now. Not because I’m lazy and never close out my Chrome browser (although I have to admit I tend to keep my macbook on all the time—yes, I realize that this is not being ‘green’ nor efficient).

The reason I’ve had this article, “How we got to 40,310 Facebook Fans in 4 days”, open for so long is the inherent value I found in their numbers, details and visuals. It’s not often someone reveals their “social media” hand and provides statistical analysis and a step-by-step tutorial on their marketing methods.

I also recently read an article by Amy Porterfield posted on the SocialMediaExaminer.com site on July 2nd and she made a really good point…

The formula for Facebook page success:

Vision + Branding + Inbound Marketing + Engagement = A Rock-Solid Facebook Page

I ‘like’ it. It makes sense and it’s a formula that would work for any line of business. You don’t have to sell t-shirts or be a big chain discount store to build up a big ‘fan’ base on Facebook, you just need to create your own enthusiasm and passion around your mission.

This sounds great for b2b or b2c companies. But, how does an employer do that?

Well, (after you develop a Social Media policy – see my other blog post) you can:

1. Engage the people who are your biggest cheerleaders and get them involved in participating in your social media activities.
2. Engage people who are already in the social media space. Send around an email to all employees asking them if they enjoy blogging, tweeting or are avid ‘facebookers.’ If you craft your social media questions in the best manner (ie. ‘We’re not asking this to spy on you…only to see if you’d like to use your great social media skills to spread the word about how great your employer is…’) you’d be surprised the number of people already doing things in this space for their hobbies and/or interests.
3. Work with your ad agency (hint, hint – Alstin!) to craft a design that is engaging and honest (another hint: use static FBML everywhere on your page! If you don’t know what I’m talking about – click here for a great tutorial. Or, view the FB app here).
4. Think outside the box. Create specific Facebook “tabs” for hard-to-fill positions or frequently open positions – insert into these pages well-designed content that entices people to not only become a ‘fan’ but also to search for a job opportunity or post a comment or question. Transparency is your friend in social media. Trust me.
5. Promote your Facebook page on your corporate site. I know, I know the Marketing folks and/or your Web or IT team is going to have a bird over this, but push for it…Amy Porterfield’s section on inbound marketing proves the point on building your fan base is most efficient and inexpensive way to build a following.
6. Update frequently…and that means everyday. Whether you’re featuring a specific job, announcing a new contest or poll, uploading new photos of a specific event or party or posing a question to your audience…it’s integral to keep your Facebook page content fresh and focused on your fans not so much on you.

Well, that’s all for today. Tuesday is already proving to be a hot one for us in Philly (and much of the east coast from what I hear). Apparently the ‘heat index’ will be 107…I guess we’ll be ‘sweating back to work today.’ Hope your holiday weekend was great!

Alstin wishes everyone a happy and safe 4th of July and a Happy Friday! While we’re at it, here’s some silliness to kick off your weekend – if you’re on Facebook, you’ll enjoy this one.

“Renaissance” may not be the best word to use, but typography, more specifically font faces, underwent an explosion in the past ten years. Thankfully, it’s slowed down a bit and the waters are beginning to clear.

The computer, which set desktop publishing afire, allowed just about anyone to design a typeface or create a flyer. The results have not been pretty. A quick search will turn up thousands of typefaces based on people’s own handwriting. Where typeface designers used to spend months giving faces a matching look and feel, where weight mattered and the kerning between the letters would allow elegance to come through, we now have wild one-offs with absolutely no consideration for how the letters fit together is taken. Sometimes classic faces are simply tweaked and given a new name. Think of the ubiquitous “Arial” font, a Helvetica stand-in that has awkward tweaks (like the slant on the top of the lowercase “t”) that apparently were made to simply avoid paying royalties to Helvetica.

People love their fonts, and for some people, the uglier the better. “Comic Sans” is the reigning leader of a long line of fonts that are seldom appropriate for anything. Yes, you could add “Bradley Hand” and “Papyrus” to round out the podium, but using a single ugly font is not the most grievous assault to the senses. That comes from those who insist on mixing it up a bit. Perfectly reasonable people, who know better than to wear polka dots and stripes together, or plaid and paisley, will somehow feel comfortable creating a four font ensemble that would scare even the most stalwart “Dingbat” off of the page. Alternatively, though you’d think most would know better than to wear two different shades of red together, it’s not uncommon to see two fonts that are close enough to be siblings mashing it up on the same page. Just ground one of them and let the other hog the spotlight. The less fighting the better.

Fortunately, the internet has largely been free of this assault, due to the limitations of HTML 4. The upcoming HTML 5 allows “designers” to embed their fonts in the pages. The future is looking bright. And tacky.   - j

“Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.”
- Gertrude Stein

I had a conversation that I (almost) can’t believe I am still having with a friend this weekend about Facebook and the workplace. My friend who is a “director” of a department shared with me a recent Facebook wall post by a person who reports directly to her. It read (and this is further edited to ensure their “privacy”) along these lines:

“I still have to endure working at COMPANY XXX.. Anyhoo, did you get the vibe that SO-AND-SO is waaaaaay too tense and uptight…like there was something missing from their life? A NOT SO NICE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT SO-AND-SO MAY BE MISSING IN THEIR LIFE WAS HERE. It’s a good thing I’m not friends with them on Facebook, or I’d be fired right about now.”

While comments like these may not exactly be grounds for firing, they do lay the groundwork for impressions of a person’s character. Remember that old adage, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all? Well, just apply that to your coworkers and what you’re saying about them on Facebook big time.

“Doesn’t she know that I can see this?!!” my friend asked. Umm, probably not, but they really should.

The clueless co-worker in all likelihood is really clueless about their privacy settings. Little do they know that allowing “Friends-of-Friends” to view their wall posts allowed their boss to view their rant about a fellow coworker. A rant that was a wall post to a mutual friend.

Many of us have been confused, annoyed, leery and/or still somewhat clueless about the recent changes Facebook made to their privacy settings. Their switcharoos have caused many to lose some trust in Facebook and question the ulterior ($$$) motives of the service.

An editorial on CNN.com by Danah Boyd, a social media researcher at Microsoft and fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, points out many key issues when it comes to trust, informed consent and Facebook. It’s worth a read and she offers up a recommendation for those who aren’t so sure how to manage their Facebook privacy settings – check out ReclaimPrivacy.

By following a few simple steps, ReclaimPrivacy will perform a series of scans that inspect your current Facebook privacy settings and warn you about settings that might be unexpectedly public. Regular visits to their site will also keep you posted on the latest developments on Facebook’s policies when it comes to users privacy.

There’s no doubt that sharing information is what Facebook is all about – it’s essential to the site’s success and has contributed to the success of individuals and organizations by the very nature of its openness. Just check out how Bravo TV is using social media to cater their very successful TV shows to a very specific demographic – and I admit I am totally one of them, they’ve got me! On the flip side, wouldn’t you rather “opt-in” to sharing your Facebook profile content beyond your group of friends vs. the other way around? Get your settings squared away and then tell us what you think. Do you still give Facebook’s approach to your privacy the thumbs-up?

As the #SHRM10 is winding down today in San Diego, I’m reflecting on some conversations I’ve had with both human resource professionals and job seekers. And, it’s come to my realization that there is significant frustration on both sides of the hiring table.

There are more applicants per open position than ever before and HR teams are overwhelmed and often understaffed to handle this huge volume with delicacy and poise to not ‘offend’ job applicants who don’t make it to the first, second or third round.

Job seekers on the other hand are so fed up with putting forth effort, energy and their enthusiasm into submitting (sometimes through a painfully long applicant tracking software process) only to receive…nothing. Nada. Zilch. Maybe they receive an automatic “Thank you for your application. Don’t call us. We’ll call you.” Job seekers walk away from the process disgruntled.

So, what’s the solution? Well, I was doing some reading last night and discovered this recent article “Human Resources and Branding. Treating Job Applicants Like Customers.” Frank Marafiote offers some excellent (and often easy-to-implement) tips on how HR can create a better ‘user’ experience:

The contacts we have with job applicants represent a golden opportunity to sell our organizations. Just because they have applied for a job doesn’t mean they really understand your company, its mission, goals, or its contributions to the community and other stakeholders. Through the use of links to appropriate sections of your corporate web site or a small but well-designed brochure, you can educate applicants, create goodwill and — yes — possibly win a new customer.

The concept of treating applicants like potential customers isn’t anything new. But, I wonder how many HR departments have taken the time to really invest energy (ok, and a little money) into drafting a policy and/or program and actually stick to it?

If I were to tackle this problem today, I’d take the following steps:

1. Search and apply to a job on my career site using a real resume and see how satisfied I feel at the end of the process.
2. Based upon my personal experience applying to my own company (which probably will receive a failing grade), I’m anticipating the following steps are necessary:
   • Meet with my ATS/TAS vendor to ensure I’m using all automated components available to me (for free) and that I’m using all of the ‘personalization’ options that come along with those components as well. (ie. Instead of taking the easy path of just sending an automated email “Dear Applicant” set it up so that it begins with “Hi First Name”).
   • Review the content of all automated emails that my ATS/TAS is sending out to applicants. Determine how I can make these emails sound, read and look better (Add graphics? Add links to external newsletters? Add links to special awards or announcements?) I know Alstin has a number of excellent services in these areas.
   • Review the percentage of applicants entering my application process and how many exit. You’d be surprised to find out the ratio. Determine (if possible) where applicants are dropping of and work closely with your ATS/TAS team (yes, they do usually know what they are talking about when it comes to an applicant experience) and streamline (read: remove lots of stupid steps and questions) your application process.
3. Perform a “Mystery Shopper/Mystery Job Applicant” follow up call. Call in and/or attempt to email a recruiter on the team to get follow up information on your resume/application. What response did you receive? Did you get to talk with a human being? Was your experience positive? If not, consider (based on your volume) a designated person/people within your recruiting team to field follow up emails and phone calls. Provide them with the tools necessary to do a good job:
   • Draft various email responses for people you are not considering – make them as personal and as polite as possible.
   • Draft various phone scripts/pointers for talking with job applicants on the phone. If the message is clear, concise and genuine, they will walk away with a greater level of satisfaction.
   • Check with your Marketing or PR department about external eNewsletters or some other follow up material that is available to the public that you could offer as a method of we’d like to “keep in touch.” By reaching out your hand, you’d be surprised to see the positive results.
4. Use Social Media tools. If you aren’t sure how, contact Alstin about the best ways to promote and use your Facebook Page, your Twitter Job Channel or how to set up an employee blog…all of these tools job applicants are searching or and are great ways to increase the level of engagement to your audience and make it a truly positive experience.

Well, that’s all for now. Happy Tuesday! (btw: I did finish the Philly Sprint Triathlon, one minute less than the year before. And, I can’t help but think about the family of the man who didn’t make it out of the Schuylkill River. That was a tragedy. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.)

Aye Caramba! When Denny’s Restaurants exhausted the Cheyenne, WY market in a search for Cooks via internet postings and local print ads, we needed to think outside the box and pursue some non-traditional means of media to get out their recruitment message particularly to a Hispanic market that posseses the right skill set. Unfortunately, there is no dedicated print or online media to cater to this small, highly targeted market. There was however a small Hispanic radio station in nearby Laramie that could provide the reach to the market Denny’s was looking for. Several years ago in a much more robust job market, non-traditional media outlets for recruitment including radio, cinema, billboards, and bus wraps were used with surprising frequency – employers had to use new and ambitious ways to get the attention of the right candidates. Are those days are coming back? 

For those that don’t remember, Primetime Glick was a short-lived comedy show featuring Martin Short as the rude, clueless Hollywood reporter, Jiminy Glick (if you don’t recognize Martin, don’t worry, he was in a body suit and under tons of makeup). I came across an old clip on YouTube recently, and I was struck by the way Jiminy’s style represented the very worst in HR interviewing. Specifically:

• Being ill-prepared for the interview

• Having your facts completely wrong

• Going off on wild tangents

• Asking questions but not listening to the answers

• Making snap judgments about one’s abilities and qualifications

• Being dismissive

• Letting your emotions get the best of you

• Asking inappropriate questions

• Talking more about yourself than listening to the candidate

To see an example of bad interviewing in action, watch Jiminy’s interview with Julia Louis-Dreyfus here:

You can also watch Jiminy as he takes over CNN and makes many of the same interviewing mistakes with Anderson Cooper:

Unfortunately, I bet many people reading this blog have worked with people who are almost as bad at interviewing as Jiminy.  Let’s join together, think about the above bullets, and resolve to never let it happen to us! Have a great weekend everyone!

“No more hiring managers, no more budget freezes, no more applicants’ dirty looks.”

Haven’t heard that one? Unfortunately, school is never really out when you’re a recruiter. But rather than looking at the next two to three months with the standard Summer Slowdown frame of mind, why not brush up on some creative hiring strategies that will:

• keep you engaged
• ensure that your department is in-the-know
• bring in more qualified candidates
• help you do more (more efficiently)

As a service to our readers, we proudly present:

RECRUITER CAMP: Summer 2010

(no insect repellent or sunblock required)

FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS

Woven threads are cute reminders of the people you know, but the best strategies for connecting with potential applicants come from sociability — Alstin Communications’ suite of social media products and services. From page creation and employee seminars on the world of online networking to content development, we help you tap in to the potentially huge recruiting opportunities offered by the ‘net.

ARCHERY

Get to the point with applicantarrow. If one of your greatest challenges is finding where applicants are coming from, choose Alstin Communications’ valuable advertising metrics service. In addition to tracking all responses from ALL media placements (online or offline), applicantarrow compares ROI data and incorporates pre-screening questions to determine suitability of applicants.

INVESTIGATING WEBS

Nope, it’s not a primer on arachnids. With the help of webglass, you can find out how your website — or more specifically, your Careers page — stacks up against the competition. Best practices are shared and objective recommendations are offered. Helps create a destination that will turn visitors into applicants.

PUBLIC SPEAKING

No oral reports required. Whether you want an RSS feed for your Careers site or a cool video that markets your work environment on YouTube, innerviews is the quick and easy way to create compelling audio/online content.

FISHING

Nightcrawlers not your thing? That’s okay, applicants aren’t crazy about them either. Instead, select resumate when you’re fishing for the best people. A single platform for all of your talent sourcing, searching and resume database management needs, it combines with TalentFilter℠ to bring new efficiencies that yield a better ROI. A targeted eCard sent automatically to the top 20% of sourced resumes? It’s no tall tale.

Register today to ensure a fun and fruitful summer!

Free t-shirt to every camper/client who mentions this blog post when selecting one of the above Summer Camp offerings!

Do not adjust your monitor! We are now in control. Resistance is futile!

Just kidding. Here’s the deal: The person behind the blog curtain, the one who edits, publishes and puts this fantastic blog together, is none other than our VP of Operations, Annette DeHaven. Annette is on vacation this week–I can’t believe we let her do that—but that means I am in charge, and this blog is mine (at least for a few more days).

Hmm, so how should I do my evil bidding? Run a seven page manifesto on how frustrating the Phillies have been to watch so far this year? Craft another embarrassing love letter to Honest Tea?

No, dear readers, it’s too hot here in Philly (approaching the record of 97 degrees today) for such drama or angst.

Come to think of it, just the thought of the long days of summer melts my evil heart. I know that before long I’ll be writing a blog complaining about the chill of fall, so let’s all join together and make a pact to seize the day. Here’s how:

In the next week, you MUST do at least five of the following:

• Catch a lightning bug.

• Drink water straight from the garden hose.

• Offer a drink from garden hose to a loved one and then splash him/her in the face.

• Play wiffle ball with the kids in your neighborhood (you’re allowed to peg them on their way to first base).

• Take a nap in a hammock (your neighbor won’t mind).

• Go for a long walk some evening and marvel how it’s still light at 8:30pm.

• Perform an embarrassing cannonball, can opener or belly flop at the next pool party you attend.

• Go camping. Sleep in a tent. Enjoy the fresh air and quiet while not complaining about the heat, bugs, lack of shower or appropriate bathroom  (if you can do this, please write to me and tell me how).

• Get a big, fat summer novel and knock it out in a few days (I’m going with the last in Stieg Larsson’s amazing Lisbeth Salander trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest).

• Hit the beach, any beach. Stare out at the ocean. Feel calm.

Finally: realize that the languid days of summer are fleeting, and do as much as you can with those you love to get the most out of them.

My wetsuit came in the mail yesterday. And the thought of trying on that rubber suit (even though it’s brand new – a huge bonus from last year’s rental) is even less appealing knowing that it’s going to be 90 degrees all week. But, swimming in the Schuylkill River with only a bathing suit concerns me more…since the swim part of the Sprint Triathlon is still my weakest link.

Today’s blog post is going to be a bit off the normal social media and recruiting topic. Why? Well, honestly, I’ve been a bit distracted recently. And that’s a good thing. I remember this time last year, prepping for my first triathlon—butterflies in my stomach a week before the event. This year? Anxiety…not so much. So, what’s changed? I guess my attitude. I’ve been running longer, swimming each week all winter and my biking legs have been fine-tuned through many spinning classes (thanks Russell!). So, I guess I’m a (tiny bit) more confident in my capabilities…hopefully that attitude of ‘life is an adventure’ will get me through this year’s race (sticking to a training program hasn’t really been my focus).

Which brings me to my point for today: Stay positive by focusing on what you CAN do. And, showing those people who say ‘you can’t—that you certainly CAN is one of life’s sweetest rewards.

So, yeah I’ll be out there—bright and early on Saturday morning with my bike, running shoes and wet suit and probably lots of butterflies in my stomach—thinking my positive thoughts and relying on my great friends and family coming down to cheer me on. My mantra will be focused on being grateful for the all the wonderful people in my life and optimistic about all the great things and adventures that have yet to come.

So, amidst today’s turmoil, controversies, not-so-natural disasters, conflicts, and negativity…focus on the things you can control and stay positive. Who knows, maybe I’ll even beat last year’s time! Lol! Feel free to comment or tweet me your trial and tribulations and how you’ve managed or overcome them! I’m at @JenHitchens.

Need an extra jump start to get going most Mondays? Back away from that 2,000 calorie mochachino and join Alstin on Facebook. Every Monday one of our team shares a song that will help set a good groove for your work week. (Click here and check out what Creative Manager Christy Parker posted to our Wall today!) We love when you “like” us, but don’t worry, we aren’t going to check out your profile – our page is all for you to get an insider’s view of Alstin (exclusive photos!), HR news you can use and at the end of the week, we’ll also share cool happenings in Philly.

Okay, so Martha the HR professional dies and meets Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates.

Peter says, “Everything seems to be in order. Now we just have to show you heaven and hell and then you can make your decision where you want to go.”

Martha replies, “I can save you the trouble on that one. I want to go to heaven, of course.”

Saint Peter nods. “I understand. But we’re doing this Six Sigma thing and we have to show you both. It’s part of our new engagement process.” Being an HR pro, Martha understands.

Peter takes her in an elevator down to hell. The door opens and reveals a beautiful scene of sloping green hills with flowers everywhere, a flowing brook and birds singing. The devil, who is incredibly handsome in a tailored Armani suit, warmly welcomes her and walks her to a huge gazebo set on a hill. There she has a wonderful meal, meets many interesting people, eats some amazing food and dances the night away with the devil. All in all, she has a lovely time.

The next day Peter takes Martha in the elevator up to heaven–and it’s very nice. She floats on a cloud, sees a lot of her old friends and family members, and experiences an inner feeling of contentment and peace she’s never felt before.

When it’s all over, Peter asks for her decision.

“I know this sounds crazy,” she says. “They were both wonderful. Really. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’m going to choose hell.”

“No problem,” replies Peter.

They take the elevator down and it opens upon a scorched, arid landscape. The sky is blood red, it’s unbearably hot, there’s no water and people are screaming and writhing in pain. The devil is waiting there with a cape, horns and a maniacal laugh.

“What happened?” Martha exclaims. “I was here just two days ago. Where’s the green hills, the gazebo, the nice people, and why are you dressed like that?”

“Well,” the devil replies, “two days ago you were a candidate. Today you’re an employee.”

The point of my awful joke? In recruiting, we often spend a lot of time and money trying to communicate and engage top candidates. We think a lot about our recruitment process and our employer brand, we make sure the career portion of our website ensures a good experience and has lots of info, we travel to colleges, industry events and open houses to spread the word, we rigorously interview, test, compare candidates…and so much more.

But what happens once they’re hired? Do you make them feel as important as you did when you were wooing them? Do you communicate with them about things like company news, areas of growth, what top management is focused on, career advancement, etc.?

Your employees truly are the engine that makes your company runs. Internal branding is not just about retention, but also about the success and engagement of your employees. If it’s something you need to learn more about, drop me a line at trosato@alstin.com

Don’t let what happened to Martha happen to you. Let us help you with your internal employee brand–before it’s too late.

Deadlines. The very word can strike fear into the hearts of anybody who has ever had to meet one. For those doing something creative, doubly so. To work under time constraints is one thing. To create under deadline-pressure is something else entirely. What if inspiration never strikes? (And inspiration seems to run in especially short supply with a clock ticking over your head.) But it’s this very challenge that leads to the wonderful thing about deadlines. In a way, they solve the exact problems that they create. I’ll explain. Here are the top three reasons to love deadlines:

1. Deadlines Change an Idea into a Plan
My job as a Creative Director is to take often abstract creative requests and make them concrete. That means turning a request like “The client wants to see something new,” into an actionable plan. The first step is to specifically establish what you want to end up with. For instance, I might change “needs new client ideas” into “needs two .pdfs of image boards, each with an additional .pdf of a sample collateral item.” Now there’s a concrete goal – but the goal isn’t a plan until that all-important deadline is established. One of my favorite quotes, by French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery, says it best: “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

2. Deadlines are the Engines That Drive Your Projects
If you’ve read my blog posts before on creativity, you know that I’m big on action. Deadlines keep things moving along. Working on something, actually making forward progress, is the most important thing you can do on a creative project. Being inspired while you work is secondary. I’m not saying you should compromise the quality of your creative work. I’m simply agreeing with creative genius, Thomas Edison, when he said “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

3. Deadlines Get Things Done
One of the best things about art classes in school were student critiques. Everybody would put up their work to await comments from their peers. Inevitably, in this setting and in museums across the country, you’ll hear the same comment, “I could have done that.” My response is always the same. But you didn’t. This person did. They stretched the canvas, they got the paints out, and they put brush to canvas. The difference between a work of art and an overused critique of said work is in the doing. The quote that applies here? I guess I’d have to go with Larry the Cable Guy on this one: “Git’r Done.”

So, there it is. Three great reasons to establish and embrace your deadlines. Don’t just think about what you want to do. Make a plan. Set your deadline. And go.

In 2009 93% of companies with more than 200 employees offered at least one wellness program within their health benefits. (That’s up more than 88% from 2008.) Out of those companies surveyed by The Kaiser Family Foundation, 63% thought that their wellness programs improved employee health and about half thought they reduced costs.

The American Heart Association also recently sent out a policy statement on workplace wellness  that claims, “Research shows that companies can save anywhere from $3 to $15 for every $1 spent on health and wellness within 12 to 18 months of implementing a workplace wellness program.”

The American Heart Association went on to detail several of the most typically successful wellness programs including, but not limited to, these:

• Weight management
• Stress management/reduction
• Early detection/screening
• Work environment changes that encourage healthy behaviors and promote occupational health and safety

However, the Association also noted that 60% of employees said the economy has affected their ability to take care of their health, just adding one more reason to skip a trip to the dentist or cancel a gym membership.

So how do employers mobilize their employees to participate in these programs? USA Today reported  that IBM offers a $300 rebate for participation. IBM also had the Health Management Research Center at the University of Michigan analyze their wellness program efforts and impact. According to IBM’s Director of Well-being (how’s that for a title?), their wellness initiatives resulted in $80 million in reduced health claims.

A different approach, but a financial incentive nonetheless, PepsiCo introduced a $600 surcharge for smokers. That resulted in a tenfold increase in participation in their smoking-cessation program. (The quit rate was 34%.)

Wellness isn’t just about helping workers shed pounds or to finally kick their smoking habit to the curb. For large and small organizations, it is very important to remember that the way employees are managed affects their well-being. Offering flexibility to a great employee dealing with a difficult personal issue, or showing in small ways that you really care also falls under wellness (and being a decent human being).

I will leave you with an except from the book Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements by Tom Rath and Jim Harter. It provides plenty of food for thought and a perspective that, I for one, find hard to argue with:

“ … the most progressive leaders not only understand that they are in the business of boosting their employees’ wellbeing, but they also use this knowledge as a competitive advantage to recruit and retain employees. They know it will be easier to attract top talent if they can show a prospective employee how working for the organization will translate into better relationships, more financial security, improved physical health, and more involvement in the community.

Leaders can’t just tell employees that they care about their well-being. They have to take action if they want to see results. And this requires continual measurement and follow-up to help workers manage their wellbeing over time. Just as the most successful organizations have worked systemically to optimize their levels of employee engagement, they are now turning their attention to employee wellbeing as a way to gain an emotional, financial, and competitive advantage.”