alstin communications

It’s no surprise that even during such difficult economic times Americans remain as enterprising as ever.

The product description for these buttons reads: Got laid off? Not a problem! Who wants to spend days pouring over job listings? It’s time to have fun. This collection of round pins would make great gifts for people that still have sense of humor about the situation.

Place your orders  here.

When working on ads for a client, the first thing we end up needing is the logo. We addressed the problems in getting insufficient resolution for print-work in a previous post, so what I want to cover today is an even better solution–one that has no resolution at all–vector artwork.

“Vector” means that the artwork is described by mathematical formulas describing the lines, curves, colors, gradients, etc. Because it is not defined in terms of a defined grid of colored blocks (pixels), this artwork can be blown up as large as you want and still look sharp. For most graphical work, like corporate logos, this is the best format to use, especially since the file size of these pieces is usually smaller than high-resolution bit-map (made of pixels) artwork. Vector artwork can then be scaled to use online, in print ads, and even on billboards. A little file goes a long way!

Where vectors run into trouble is when they’re trying to define more illustrative or photographic treatments that have subtle blendings of shapes and colors, soft drop shadows and out of focus elements. In those cases, it just makes sense to go with the raster art (another name for bit-map). There are some talented artists out there that can reproduce almost anything as a vector drawing, but the level of detail ends up making the file size no smaller than the bit-map’s, and it still doesn’t have the same noisy texture that makes so many photos and photo-illustrations come alive.

So you know we want vector logos, but how will you know them when you see them? A reliable sign is the suffix on the file name. If your file’s name ends with “.eps” or “.ai”, then it’s very likely to be vector in the form of an “encapsulated postscript” file or an “Adobe Illustrator” file, both of which work equally well. Please note that an .eps file created by dropping a low-resolution web logo in an Illustrator document and then saving it as an .eps doesn’t work and it defeats the purpose. If all else fails, get in touch with your graphics department. They usually know what they’re doing.    - j

Before I settled into my own digs after graduating from college, I lived in 12 different residences with my family across three states. (Not an army brat, a corporate one.) I understood all the abbreviations within the MLS by the time I was 10 and to this day save the Real Estate section in my Sunday New York Times for last.

Within another section of the paper, the Business section, there’s another favorite. A column called Corner Office. It “offers highlights from conversations about leadership and management.”

Although many of you reading this blog know me as your trusty account executive, among many duties here at Alstin I’m responsible for hiring on the account services side. I’ve been able to not only help my clients make the most of their employer marketing campaigns, but also swap stories about our approaches to recruitment and retention. This column, presented in a straightforward Q&A style, reminds me of many of those conversations. I always come away learning something. For example, here are a couple of points of view from previous columns that I relate to:

Do you have favorite interview questions? “Well, my first question is always, ‘Tell me what you think this job is all about.’ And I think just allowing them to speak about what they want to do, and what they think the job is about, is actually very useful, because it sheds light on what they think they want to do in the company.” – Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive of Adobe Systems

My first question? Tell me what you know about Alstin Communications. It’s very open ended and I know within half a second whether the person has researched our company – by the look of terror in their eyes or the beginnings of a well thought out answer. Knowing as much as you can about a client, even before the business relationship begins, is key to the job here at Alstin, so this works well for me. Then I follow up with the same question Mr. Narayen asks for the reason he notes above.

How do you hire? “I really look for a kind of a passionate curiosity. I think that is indispensable, no matter what the job is. You want somebody who is just alert and very awake and engaged with the world and wanting to know more … I also look for a sense of humor, because that’s really the best indicator of some kind of perspective about the world. And ultimately I won’t hire anybody who can’t write.” – Nell Minow, co-founder of the Corporate Library

Ditto.

So when I saw this week’s column titled No Doubts: Women are Better Managers, I admit, I wrinkled up my nose even before diving in. The interview was with Carol Smith, senior vice president and chief brand officer for the media company, the Elle Group.

She says, “Hands down women are better. No contest. In my experience, female bosses tend to be better managers, better advisers, mentors, rational thinkers. Men love to hear themselves talk. I’m so generalizing. I know I am. But in a couple of places I’ve worked, I would often say, ‘Call me 15 minutes after the meeting starts and then I’ll come,’ because I will have missed all the football. I will have missed all the ‘what I did on the golf course.’ I will miss the four jokes, and I can get into the meeting when it’s starting.”

I can think of many common traits of good managers and looking at my list, I’m just not seeing gender anywhere in the mix. Creating a sense of camaraderie certainly is though.

In the end, although I totally disagree with her ridiculous generalization assessment, looking at the hundreds of comments posted online, it seems this interview also had others thinking along the same lines as me – gender generalizations do not belong in the corner office.

Driving along Kelly Drive into Center City Philly is an experience in itself. Now, every time (like this morning) I drive along that route, I look for the bridge that I swam around and the sandy embankments on the West River Drive that I walked down and climbed back out during the Philly Sprint Triathlon at the end of June. It fills me with a sense of pride that I can say, “I swam in the Schuylkill River and lived to tell about it!”

All kidding aside, training for the Sprint Triathlon was intense. Now I know why they call them “brick” workouts…because it feels like you hit a brick wall head first going from bike to run or swim to bike. But I stuck with it and things got easier. Swimming is definitely not my best skill. The anxiety I feel doing a lap of freestyle is overwhelming. So, I switched to breaststroke. Harder? Perhaps. But at least I could get my breathing under control and do six laps in a pool without stopping. In my mind I kept thinking the .9K swim of the Philly Sprint Tri was 38 laps – and there’s no stopping in the Schuylkill River!

Race Day came quickly and I hardly slept the night before. I triple checked my bags and my gear about ten times. Up and out by 6:30 AM, no traffic on 76 at that time! Finally reached the transition tent and set up my bike and running gear and befriended three other women in my swim heat (there was no hiding my age with my bright orange race cap and the number ‘36’ firmly written in permanent marker on my calf!). One of the women had done the race before and gave us all some great pointers and tips for making the transitions smoother. Talking with them and the camaraderie I felt really helped reduce the anxiety that was creeping up as each wave of swimmers went into the water.

I’m not going to lie—I honestly thought, while swimming against the current during the first leg of the swim, that drowning was a distinct possibility. (Or, at a bare minimum—the humiliation of being hauled into one of the rescue boats, and therefore disqualified from the race, scared me as well.) Hyperventilating and unable to catch my breath, I looked around and saw that I wasn’t the only one struggling and that I wasn’t the last one in our heat. There were many other swimmers in the water who weren’t doing freestyle and who were bumping into one another and doing backstroke just to catch their breath. As I realized this, I said to myself, “You’ve worked too hard and for too long to be carried away in a rescue boat. Get it together. You can do this….you can do this.” So, I switched gears, kept repeating, “I can do this…I can do this.” And just told myself to get to the first buoy and if I could do that, I’d attempt to get to the second buoy. Sure enough, I rounded the first buoy and starting across current, then down current and next thing I knew I could see the rainbow arch that was the finish line to the swim. I guarantee you’ve never seen a swimmer in the Schuylkill River smiling while doing the breaststroke.

After I exited the water and could hear the crowd hooting and hollering support I was literally smiling ear to ear—I had done it! Transitioning into the bike portion was simple and as I snapped on my helmet and hopped on my bike I was literally on cloud nine. The bike portion was even enjoyable as I got a chance to look around Fairmount Park and see the city skyline in the distance that I’ve always loved. Running has always been something I loved, so once off the bike, I knew I was in the home stretch! Seeing my family and friends cheering me on also pushed me to try harder. Crossing that finish line knowing I just ran a 8:36 mile for the 5K run part was exhilarating! The first thought as I crossed the finish line? “I can’t wait to do this again next year!”

So, why am I writing about my Sprint Triathlon experience? To remind myself that during the toughest times and the hardest challenges in life, we’re not alone. Through the love and support of family, friends and co-workers we can get through anything. Stay positive my friends. Live strong.

Isn’t it amazing how fast the trend of social media has spread like wildfire across the country? Any and everybody are using some form of it these days. It couldn’t have come at a better time. With massive lay-offs, and a troubled economy, what more cost effective way could there be for someone to find work, or find the perfect hire by way of relationship building?

Many recruiters would agree that they get their best hires from referrals. Recruiters now benefit from the ability to ‘LinkIn’, ‘Tweet’ or ‘Friend’ employees, colleagues, clients, vendors, friends, applicants, and other contacts to promote their employer brand and career opportunities.

My guess is you’ve been thinking, this all sounds great! I’m going to set up my Twitter account today, put creating a Facebook Fan Page on my to-do list, and make sure I join some more groups on LinkedIn. I might even start up a cool new blog and join together employees to show the outside world how comfortable and collaborative we are.

But who is going to monitor all this potential interaction? And do I have the time? How am I going to keep that cool new blog current with daily posts? Monitor the comments on a Facebook fan page, and tweet new info while answering all the responses to my previous tweets?

That’s where Alstin Communications comes into play – we live the new job title that’s cropping up more and more – Social Media Specialist – every day.

Simply put: The explosive growth of social media is redefining how people communicate. The implications are far reaching. How you choose to use these new communication tools may well define your success as an employer in the coming years.

By developing a solid social media strategy, and tapping into sociability, Alstin Communications’ suite of social media products and services, you will get the most out of these new tools. Seminars on the how to’s, guidance on developing an in-house social media policy and of course all that you would expect (and maybe not expect!) from Alstin on how to maintain that all-important brand consistency across all social media channels and a whole lot more are offered up by our team of social media gurus.

From our perspective, adding these skills to your repertoire can only boost your organization’s – and your own – marketability.

I spend a good part of my day on Facebook, consider LinkedIn my personal, professional Rolodex, and am about to experience what it’s like to tweet about all sorts of thing, including my favorite blogs. I do consider myself a Social Media Specialist and am glad that growing expertise also makes me the “help wanted” for my clients.

“Where’s Tony?” As VP of Client Development for Alstin, I (happily) find myself on the road a lot, talking to clients, prospects, people in the media, etc.–and I attend numerous industry functions each month. On Alstin’s blog, I’ll let you know where I am and what I’m hearing in the wonderful world of recruiting.

Summer is here! My vegetable garden is exploding, the mini-triathlon I’m doing is only (gulp) one month away and this episode of “Where’s Tony” is going to be a bit different…

Where wasn’t Tony? I wasn’t in Princeton, NJ for the end-of-the-year luncheon at NJAHR. An RFP emergency caused me to miss this one. Still, it gives me a chance to plug The New Jersey Association of Healthcare Recruiters, a wonderful organization–and we are proud to count many of its members as Alstin clients. If you recruit for healthcare professionals in NJ, you should definitely check out their new, redesigned website at www.njahr.org.

Why is Tony stuck in Conshohocken, PA? I guess I can’t expect to drive all the time and not put aside some time for service to my car, but 2 ½ hours was more than I counted on. Thank goodness for WiFi. Also, I got a chance to see Nissan’s new funky, retro offering: The Cube.

Why in the world is Tony is Lima, OH? Good question. A mere 9+ hours from Philadelphia and close to absolutely nothing, Lima sits in the northwest corner of the great state of Ohio. We went to visit family and while my brother-in-law jokes that Lima is an acronym for Lost In Middle America, we actually had a great time. The kids were champs during the long drive and I found (as I almost always do) the stereotype of people being friendlier in rural areas to be true.

Is the news still fit to print? As a guy who came up in advertising when newspapers were king, I worry what will happen if newspapers across the country start going under–and not just the big guys, but the suburban and community papers as well. I thought about that a lot while reading the Lima News last week. It’s a small paper to be sure, but it had the right mix of local and national news, strong writing, a good editorial flavor and it really seemed to serve the community well. There’s no doubt that there’s much to be gained in the mobile, “immediate” online world we live in, but there is definitely something lost if papers like the Lima News don’t make it.

Just want to close with two personal observations. On the way back we stopped at Ohiopyle State Park in southwest Pennsylvania, one of the most beautiful parks I’d ever been in. There’s camping, gorgeous bike trails, natural waterslides, whitewater boating and more.

Finally, if you’ve never been to Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece home, Falling Water (also in southwest PA) you MUST see it. I have absolutely no interest in architecture and found the home, the tour and the story behind it all, fascinating.

Until next time, see you on the road!

There was a time when LinkedIn was viewed as an electronic version of the Rolodex — the new way to collect the most pertinent vitals about your co-workers, clients and friends in a more high-profile place. Sure, it was a website, but it seemed to be more about finding out who really liked andor respected you than it was about receiving business-generating leads or bona fide job offers.

For many, it was the first time they’d updated their resume in years — instead of just waiting patiently in a folder in case you were “ready for a change,” your work history was on the web for all to see. Inflated GPAs suddenly seemed a bit more risky. And there was the profile picture. Millions of people shuddered at the prospect of putting their faces front and center.

Then the bubble burst. Make that many bubbles. Over the last few years, announcements of economic indicators have been like a barrage of mini-shots of Alka Seltzer hitting our proverbial upset stomachs. Suddenly, LinkedIn seemed less like a grown-up MySpace page and more like a life-saving ring. You not only looked to your Network for possible job leads, but, as sweet sailing got a bit rocky, you went to those who were Linked for personal Recommendations — and the resulting much-needed ego-boosts. Because let’s face it: no matter how good you are, no matter how great a job you know you’ve done, when you’re laid off, you begin to question the reality you’ve been living. You feel awful. And you wonder, “Am I as good as I thought I was? What am I best at? What words would people who knew me use to describe me?”

Then you know.

For me, writing a Recommendation on LinkedIn is more than just a post in cyberspace. It’s an opportunity to tell someone what I should have while I worked with them. A Recommendation could also be what makes the difference between someone getting a call for an interview or spending another frustrating week trying to stand out in a sea of lost workers. I’ve written a few pro-active Recommendations for people I’ve worked with, and one for someone after she was laid off. I’ve also read dozens of Recommendations for people I know who’ve lost their jobs. It’s not as depressing as you’d think.

My sister in law, a VP who’d worked for the same company for two decades, had to lay off several of co-workers a few months back. As she was preparing to do so, she called to ask if I knew about any employee placement firms that could help her employees with leads and spent a week of late nights writing thoughtful LinkedIn Recommendations for them.

Last week, the tables turned, and it was my sister-in-law’s turn to try to make sense of office rumors and dwindling incoming emails. When I talked to her on the phone, she realized she probably only had a day or two before she got her notice. The next day, when I saw a huge spike in her LinkedIn Recommendations, I knew it had happened. But along with learning that she had been laid off, I also learned a lot about who my sister-in-law (hostess-extraordinare, multitasking mom, gourmet Italian cook) was at work. Seeing her through the eyes of her co-workers, I realized that everything she brought to her family, she brought to those she worked with. She was called “an expert in her field”, “a great mentor,” “highly versatile,” “a constant professional,” “understanding and fair,” and, the basic requirement for real success in an organization, “someone who truly cares.” I believe she will find a great new job sooner rather than later. I know that LinkedIn will help her. And I hope that she realizes what’s most obvious to me: it wasn’t her loss, but theirs.

Tony Rosato’s confessional about his undying passion for Honest Tea caught a lot of eyeballs the other week, including those of the company’s founders. They not only left Tony a very nice comment, but tweeted about it and added a link on their Facebook Fan Page. It’s one of our most viewed posts of all time.

This little anecdote reaffirms the concept of six degrees of separation – we are now more than ever so closely interconnected. Anecdotes like these also abound for those of us who are using social media.

Using social media effectively can garner a lot of immediate attention and when you are looking for a job in today’s market, you want that immediacy and you really need to stand out.

The economy and our friends LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter have created not only the desire, but the ability to establish and build a personal, virtual brand. It’s not surprising to me that people are using the principles I apply when creating employer brands to market themselves. And its even spawned a new niche – the personal branding expert.

There’s a particular book with the clever title Me 2.0 that’s getting a lot of attention. It’s written by Dan Schawbel – a “personal branding force of nature” (according to Fast Company). In the book Schawbel offers up a 4-step process to build a powerful brand (discover, create, communicate, maintain). He founded an excellent, award-winning blog on the subject and created an award for, you guessed it, the best personal brands. The awards are given to those “who express what it means to create and execute on their brand value to achieve their dreams.”

I came across this post titled The Brand Called You  and while it may be a wee bit dated, the rationale behind and advice on how to start building your personal brand is timeless:

• What makes you different?

• What did I do that I am most proud of?

• What do I want to be famous for?

The author states: “You are a brand. You are in charge of your brand. There is no single path to success. And there is no right way to create the brand called You. Except this: Start today. Or else.”

Hmmm, really? Or else?

Will using social media become the new job requirement and a personal brand the new resume? I blogged about this particular job that cropped up that clearly said “yes”, but what about the rest of us say in accounting? There’s much to debate and think about – time will certainly tell.

An online degree on a resume may have raised a questionable eyebrow by recruiters in the not so distant past. However, today’s lifestyle combined with more distance learning opportunities offered by “mainstream” colleges and universities have changed that perception.

55% of 2-year and 4-year institutions offer college-level credit-granting distance learning courses at either the undergraduate or graduate level. The National Center for Education Statistics also predicts that by 2013 19% of those pursuing a degree will do so in an online classroom. I recently completed my degree from Drexel University online. What was my experience? Click here to read more in this month’s iOnline.

One of the best aspects of my job is getting there. When there is no rain or snow, I walk or ride my mother’s sweet 1974 Schwinn suburban. I always pack a camera and take shots along the way, to and from work. It’s a nice 24 block haul and there is always some great art along the way whether it be public & commissioned; renegade, free & illegal; or a moment in time I capture myself.

Mobile marketing is quickly becoming a mainstream medium and its growth doesn’t seem to have any chance of slowing down. At this time there are approximately 4 billion mobile subscribers. According to the Nielsen Company, text messaging surpasses voice calls within the highly desired 25-44 age group. Surprised? I was.

So what is “mobile marketing” anyway? The Mobile Marketing Association gives us the official definition as “The use of wireless media as an integrated content delivery and direct response vehicle within a cross-media or stand-alone marketing communications program.” What?

OK, let me break that down for you. Mobile = any kind of cell phone, PDA, smart phone, or other mobile device. Marketing = the commercial processes involved in promoting and selling and distributing a product, service, or for this blog a career opportunity, or employer message – just think of the possibilities. Simply put, mobile marketing is the use of a mobile device to deliver a promotional message. Better? I thought so.

What makes mobile marketing so powerful is that it is 100% “opt-in” (permission-based) and your message is actionable.

How does it work? Here’s a basic approach to help better explain how this might work for you. Step one is to select a specific target audience and we will help you obtain a list of their mobile numbers. Alstin develops and sends a creative and engaging message that includes a call to action, i.e. “Reply Y if you are interested in more information,” that will allow for the all-important opt-in step. A second message is sent out to the potential candidates who opt-in that includes (for example) a link to a microsite that houses branded content and a means to apply. (Start to think about having a career website that is optimized for viewing on a mobile phone – prospective candidates will have access to your job listings at any time, from any source.)

So who is using mobile marketing now for recruitment? It may be no surprise that the people at AT&T are. Check out the AT&T Talent Network’s web page. There is an opportunity to join the AT&T Talent Network to receive information on potential careers at AT&T. Once you select the click to join button, a brief online registration form appears. The form requires the individual to provide an email address, phone number, wireless provider and position(s) of interest. Upon completing the registration form, individuals will receive mobile text messages and email updates on specific job opportunities within AT&T as well as information on contests the company may be running, or any related messaging for that matter.

Another example of how AT&T integrated recruitment into the world of mobile marketing is with an AT&T Jobs iPhone application. This application is available for iPhone users only via download allowing them the ability to reach career possibilities with AT&T at the touch of a screen.

Isn’t mobile marketing just SPAM? Even with the impressive stats above, you may be asking yourself that. Here’s another stat to remember: 59% of Smartphone users and 38% of people recall seeing an ad on their cell phone within the first quarter of 2009. And as more of us continue to use our mobile devices for a wider range of activities, the immediate, personal and actionable nature of mobile marketing will make perfect sense for recruitment, retention and other varied employee communications. Have more questions? Contact me at blog@alstin.com.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In today’s economy, it’s more like 20 or 25.

If you choose them efficiently, that should be enough. See if you can come up with a concise, comical recruitment-related caption for this “unusual” photo.

Social media is entering the work place in more ways than one, including certain job requirements. A recent posting for a Senior Manager, Emerging Media for Best Buy listed among its preferred qualifications at least 250+ followers on Twitter.

This particular job opening was announced on Twitter and became the tweet heard round the recruiting world – primarily because of that one bullet point.

At least 250+ followers? Although I can’t boast a stat like that (yet!), I also don’t approve everyone that wants to follow my tweets. It’s relatively easy to generate quite a “following”, but not so easy to have a following that’s truly engaged in what you have to say.

The resulting buzz generated quite a novel response by Best Buy’s CMO, Barry Judge. On his blog, Judge acknowledged the resulting commentary and revealed, “It seemed to us to be a natural progression to get the community involved in crafting the job description and qualifications. So that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

They turned the table, or the keyboard, over to all of us out there who had a thing or two to say about their job posting to help craft a better job description. Judge continues, “This role is a new one for us as it likely is for other companies. So instead of thinking we know it all, we’d like to increase our chances of getting it right by surveying the wisdom of the industry.”

Those who wanted to take a shot at the rewrite were directed to submit a draft through their Best Buy IdeaX site – a website dedicated to ideas on making the company better. All submissions have been entered and are now ready for voters to select what they think is the best entry. (Click on the job description tag on the site to view and vote.)

What a smart move. As I noted above, my opinion is that engagement is a key component to successfully using social media – particularly as a marketing tool, and that goes for marketing a product or a position. There’s no question that’s what Best Buy is doing here. Strong marketers in emerging media now have this job on their radar and I’m excited to see the results.

With access to all types of technology such as voicemail, email and now social networking, delivering great customer service should be easier than ever. But we’ve all sent an unanswered email (or two or three…) or found ourselves pressing every button on our phone’s dial pad in a futile attempt to find a human being – and not a recording – on the other end of the line. Or better yet, throughout an entire business day listen to a recording tell you that the person you really, really need to reach – and who is not answering – has a full voice mail.

Those who call into Alstin Communications are surprised that we do not have voice mail. I find this a refreshing approach to customer service. Our phones are answered by a real live person – usually one of our Account Executives – so clients, really anyone, calling into our company can be immediately taken care of.

The debate to add voice mail has been ongoing in my long tenure here at Alstin. As our business model and the way the world communicates has changed, voice mail may be more of an asset to our team than ever before. Will voice mail grace the phones of Alstin Communications? The debate goes on.

This video has some real charm and humor to it – “Nice monkey mug little dude.”

However, the real fun is in Deloitte’s clever companion microsite for recruiting consultants. Check it out at  www.born2consult.com.

By the looks of this blog, you might think we over here at Alstin eat, breathe and sleep all that is recruitment and retention. Every so often we’ll stray from the HR talk and bring you more on some of our favorite things, places and activities that also populate our daily lives.

My passion for Iced Tea (specifically Honest Tea) is well known throughout our office and even by some of our clients. I’m happy to blog about it, but in many ways it’s your typical boy-meets-tea, boy-falls-in-love-with-certain-flavors, boy-rearranges-his-life-around-consumption-of- tea type of love story.

First, a note about myself. I think by anyone’s measure, I am a man of few vices. I don’t smoke, never did drugs, I have a beer or glass of wine now and then, but I don’t really drink much. I also uphold nearly every stereotype of the forty-year-old suburban dad. I drive a minivan, I cater to my daughters’ every whim, I take my cholesterol medicine every day, my hair is disappearing at an alarming rate, I fight the losing battle to stay fit, etc.––you get the picture.

But underneath this mild-mannered exterior, I have a passion. A secret. An insatiable thirst that can’t be quenched.

Actually, I like to think that as far as crippling addictions go, this is a pretty good one to have. The benefits of tea are well documented–of course, if the medical community ever reverses its position and proclaims that tea is bad for you–well, by the time you read this I will already be dead.

So why Honest Tea? Well, when it came to ice tea, I had been around the block. I did the crazy sweet teas like Arizona, Lipton and Snapple, and they all felt like drinking powdered sugar. I even had a slew of one night stands with diet iced teas loaded with chemicals and horrible aftertastes.

Then I was in Whole Foods one day and I tried my first Honest Tea. It was Moroccan Mint (you never forget your first time) and it was delicious; just a little sweet and you could actually taste the tea and mint. Plus, most Honest Teas are only around 75 calories for the whole bottle, which is great when you suck down 3-5 a day.

So how far does my love of Honest Tea go? Here’s some evidence I may have a problem:

• I know which Wawas in the area carry Honest Tea and which don’t.
• I not only receive, but read every word of the Honest Tea newsletter. In fact, I just learned they are discontinuing one of my favorite flavors (Cinnamon Spice Decaf), so if you see me with a black armband on, you’ll know why.
• When vacationing in Siesta Key, Florida, I found a health food store back on the mainland of Sarasota that carried Honest Tea–so yes, I crossed a body of water to get Honest Tea.
• When Men’s Health and other fitness magazines proclaim Honest Tea the best tea in its surveys (which they often do), my chest swells with pride.
• I can tell you the different caffeine contents of the different Honest Tea flavors.
• I drive to Maryland for business at least once a month. On the way, I pass 4 rest stops . I always stop at the 3rd one because I’ve learned from trial and error they carry Honest Tea.

My top three flavors? Jasmine Energy, Morcoon Mint and Honey Green.

I could go on, but you’re probably getting a little weirded out already. Trust me, if you’re looking for a healthy, refreshing beverage, you can’t beat Honest Tea. They have a great variety at any Whole Foods and if you happen to be in Center City Philadelphia, DiBruno’s Brothers at 18th and Chestnut has a nice selection. Enjoy!

There was a time when having the opportunity to have people read what you’d written was a kind of honor. I’m not talking about your parents, reading your first sentence, or your teacher, reading your first book report.

I’m talking about being published – having something you wrote deemed worthy by whatever powers that be for viewing by a mass (or not so mass) audience. It could have been an acceptance of an article for a high school newspaper. It could have been a letter to the editor. A submission to an essay contest. An article or research study for a magazine. Or, even a poem or story.

The opportunity to have people read what you’ve written is not something that we’ve lost.

But for the millions of people entering the blogosphere each day, it’s less about being “chosen” to contribute and more about jumping in brain first. With the introduction of interactive technologies and social networking, the gatekeeper has become secondary to the gate. And though some bloggers are sought after by an organization for their knowledge, experience or popularity, the vast majority of those blogging weren’t invited to do so.

Contribute to an HR blog – or, create your own.
Chances are, as an HR professional, you’ve accumulated expertise and knowledge of your specialty that would interest those in the field. Whether your focus is recruiting, compensation and benefits, diversity, technology or employee relations, the way you relate what you know can create quite a following for the blog you choose to create or affiliate yourself with (and, plenty of free exposure for yourself and/or your employer). In addition, you can reach out to potential candidates and communicate more regularly – or on a more conversational level – with those in your own organization.

You don’t need an English degree to blog. You don’t even need to be dressed (but that’s a whole ‘nother post). What you do need is:
· The desire to write and keep on writing about something you know or love
· An audience that’s willing to read your posts (in large numbers or on a fairly regular basis)
· Word of mouth – or really, word of click
· A plan for your blog and guidelines for keeping it fresh

Alstin Communications can help you with the real-time potential of Web 2.0. From naming your blog and setting it up to strategies for making it a destination people visit and share with others, our “a-team” has the experience and talent to turn a basic web log into a proactive, thought-provoking way to talk with – and listen to – the world of people you know and those you have yet to meet.

The honor would be all ours.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics recently reported, “Employers took 2,933 mass layoff actions in May that resulted in the separation of 312,880 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month.” *

Separation of workers – the words sound so cold. So impersonal. I know, I know – it’s a government reporting agency. They aren’t going to soften the blow.

But I am pretty sure that you are like me. You know someone who has been laid off, and if you are in HR, you may have had to be on the other side of the table – delivering the difficult news to a coworker that this would be their last day.

This video by the Cleveland Plain Dealer does just the opposite of the BLS Report. It puts a face – several faces – to the numbers.

Finding the right words to say to someone – whether that be a coworker, friend or family member – who was recently laid off can be awkward. I liked this line in a recent Philadelphia Inquirer post – “unemployment isn’t the measles” – so forget worrying about being awkward. If you’re concerned for your friend as well as about potentially putting your foot in your mouth, these tips from the aforementioned article are worth checking out.

* Mass layoff stats for June will be available from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics on Thursday, July 23, 2009.

Always on the look out for better ways of doing things (a.k.a “creating efficiencies”) I hear a lot of feedback from recruiters about how tedious resume sourcing can be – whether they are searching their own ATS profiles/resumes or going on the major job board RDBs or performing Boolean string searches on Google. Many times it can become a “black hole” of wasted time.

One product I’m very impressed with that focuses on this problem, is TalentFilter. Their search technology offers a truly automated solution that “sweeps and filters” all resumes from one search. Translation: you don’t need to search your ATS, your subscription RDBs, and the Web in three (or more) steps. TalentFilter does it all at once.

TalentFilter also ranks the resumes matched, enables you to forward to Hiring Managers for feedback/interest and market back out (in bulk emails) to the top tier resume results. If the sourced resume is interested in your open position, an interview can be scheduled within their system as well.

Let Alstin further help streamline the process. When time – your time – is of the essence (and isn’t it always?!) , my team can perform the actual sourcing (we’ll outline the core competencies from your job description for you) and based upon your skill set criteria run/monitor the search and deliver the results.

I do recommend going one step further. Have Alstin design a static or animated eCard, landing page or microsite  that touts your organization, location and assets of the available opportunity and market a branded message directly to the top ranking sourced resumes. We’ll track all the results – you will have solid stats backing up these efforts – and by opening the door to communication through these additional (and I might add cost-effective) interactive tools, you will be able to easily and effectively communicate with these candidates on an ongoing basis.

Want to set up a trial, talk about options that may be right for you or discuss questions you may have? Email me at blog@alstin.com

I was in Portland, Oregon a few weeks ago and was impressed by how “green” a city it is. From the emphasis on local farmers and farmers’ markets to a collective commitment to renewable energy, Portland is city from which we can all learn. While they’ve been working on the “green” thing since the 1970’s, the rest of us seem to be catching up.  : )

Most individual businesses there are committed to this effort and apply a number of practices in order to accommplish this.

So what are some of these practices? We all know about recycling and stopping to view an email before deciding whether to print it out. But there are other ideas such as investing in energy saving office equipment, making certain your office is energy efficient, using soy based ink, sponsoring a car pooling program and forming alliances with other busineeses committed to going green, to name a few. Then there is also the question: is this the time to look into these options considering the recession?

Andrew Winston from HarvardBusiness.org seems to think this is the perfect time. He says, “I believe that these two questions – can we still go green and how do we revive the economy – are heavily intertwined.” He explains, “Not only should companies not put their green efforts on hold, they should accelerate them in targeted ways to save money quickly and prepare for the future. Those who navigate these tricky waters the best will emerge from the downturn in better shape than their competitors.”

Click here to learn more about his thoughts. And here is another article from the Sierra Club with a list of ten suggestions to make your company greener. Hopefully the practices of being “green” will shift from a trend to something that remains permanent.

Greetings from the City of Brotherly Love – and America’s birthplace – everyone at Alstin wishes you a wonderful 4th of July celebration!

Profile Completeness. Even after posting a picture, detailing my work history, entering regular status updates and posts from this blog, mine was only 85% there. That number kept staring at me every time I logged onto my LinkedIn profile.

The site also kept reminding me that “users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities.” So where was I lacking? Recommendations.

LinkedIn suggests gathering at least three recommendations and last week I decided I was going to once and for all get them. But who to target and what was I really looking for in these? Here’s the rationale behind my approach.

My first target – my boss. Credibility is a big component to what I think makes for a good recommendation. What’s more credible than a positive review of your work performance from the person who has the role of managing and mentoring you as a professional? And we all have seen them – and can see through them – the glowing performance review by a former classmate, or friend in the same profession on a profile or two. Not so credible and not the way to go.

My second target – a former client I really enjoyed working with. One of my favorite LinkedIn attributes is the ability to stay connected with ease. Asking for an endorsement from a person I once had a great working relationship with also helps keep the door of communication open. I encourage anyone who has a long-lost contact to use this site to its full advantage.

My third target – a current, long-standing client. If I am going to keep it credible, I felt that I had to have a recommendation on my profile that’s got real conviction and that can only come from a client that’s known my account management style coupled with the agency’s business philosophy (my entire career has been with Alstin) for the long-term.

I’m happy to say I met my goal and even went ahead and reached out to a few others that fit the profile to see what I get back – whether that be more recommendations or more business opportunities. Either or – mission complete.