An article posted to Inc.com titled, “How To Spot Innovative Hires” reveals some suggestions on how to make sure your company chooses the right candidate for any position, including some questions you should include during your next interview to help facilitate the hiring process. But how can you be sure these suggestions are any more valid than anything else you’ve read? These questions actually came from a “brain researcher” and don’t laugh- some of them are pretty interesting.

The article starts off by explaining that the hiring process can be monotonous and sometimes even puzzling. “Many of the resumes that cross my desk are white pieces of paper that list education, experiences, and skills. Since they’re typically from traditionally-minded people who prefer not to call attention to themselves, I don’t expect anything else. Some people who are more expressive also include links to websites, where they post videos or slide presentations. Some resumes cleverly include square QR bar codes to scan, leading to multimedia links. I’ve also seen resumes from designers that are so colorful and inventive they are like works of art. Some of these are visually stunning, but it can take me 20 minutes to decipher the creator’s job qualifications. I’ve seen a resume set up like a board game, with a spinner in the middle, and—my personal favorite—one you cut out and fold into a colorful little box with the job seeker’s information printed on all six sides. It’s a thinking-outside-the-box box!”

So how can you file through the jungle of every day and not so normal resumes to find what you’re looking for? “The interview is where you can really get a sense of conceptual thinking. Be prepared for innovative thinkers to go off on tangents—in their minds they are not digressing, but connecting the dots. Listen for words or phrases like these: brainstorming, big picture, global, vision, hunch, oneness, synchronicity, and cutting edge.”

Here are the questions you can ask your next candidate to gauge their level of innovation-

“1. If you were to assemble a piece of furniture from the directions, how would you go about it?

I love this question because each thinking type answers it so differently. Someone whose thinking is very innovative will often say, “I look at the picture on the box, dump the pieces in a pile on the floor, and then begin. When the project is complete, I use the directions to start a fire.”

2. When a deadline is a month away, how do you finish a project—and when?

An innovative thinker will say something like, “First, I search the Internet for ideas. Then I’ll take a walk or ponder until a solution makes itself known. This may happen immediately or it may happen three days before the deadline, but when the solution surfaces, it will come all at once—and it will come.”

3. How do you make important life decisions?

Innovative minds will answer, “I base my decisions on intuition.”

An applicant’s behaviors are also important to understanding how an innovator (if you’ve found one) would interact as part of your team. Look to uncover them with questions like these:

4. What would you do if you showed up ten minutes early for a meeting?

Does this individual talk about striking up a conversation with the nearest person, or quietly prepare for the meeting? Only you know which trait would offer an appropriate balance at your company.

5. How would you assert your ideas if you were in a meeting with a group of managers and a confrontational issue emerged?

This way you can get a sense of whether or not this applicant will wait for encouragement before speaking, or jump in with a point of view. Does your current team have outspoken leaders who would squelch innovations your candidate proposes, or would his voice be heard?

6. How would you respond if your manager suddenly changed your project?

Do you find this applicant describes immediately adapting to the new task, or holding his ground? Which would benefit your organization’s processes more?

In addition, innovative job applicants will most likely ask you where you expect your company to be in ten years. They may ask how many products you have introduced, and whether or not you have awards for innovation. They also may ask if they can bring their dog to work.”

Ok, so maybe a few of these questions sound a little strange or even too forward, but give a few of them a try and see what your responses are like.

Has your company ever asked any of these questions or anything similar during the interview process? What were the results? How does your hiring process assure that you find that talent that you are looking for?

Two weeks ago our very own Dalia Gonzalez covered Why Women Love Pinterest on our blog, but did you know that the Army does too? And it wouldn’t be a bad idea for your company to fall in love with Pinterest.com either, if you’re struggling with maintaining your brand and your company’s image. But what can this relatively new social platform do for your that others can’t? The Atlantic Wire posted an overview, “The Army’s Social Media Industrial Complex,” of what the Army has done on their official Pinterest. Check out their example.

“Considering the heavy female demographic happening on Pinterest, we were surprised to find the U.S. Army had a well-stocked profile, until we checked out the rest of their online goings-on. The Army is all up on the Internet. And, in a very active way — it doesn’t just have social media profiles to have its hand in the future. It has robust profiles on various sites, ranging from the big social media players like Twitter to newbs like Pinterest, each appropriately using the platform as a PR tool. It’s really quite impressive for such an established, bureaucratic organization that one would assume would stink at the Web.” The first paragraph brings up a great point. While this is an impressive PR tool, how can this possibly relate to the Army demographically? What could this help them accomplish? Read on, friends.

All of the Army’s many social media profiles are well run. And it has many. It’s on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Google+, Vimeo, Slideshare and now Pinterest. There is also an Army Live blog. (Not to be confused with an Army liveblog.) Each profile posts different content, each appropriate for the venue. Twitter and Facebook, for example, are news heavy. Flickr and Google+ are photo driven. YouTube and Vimeo post videos, of course. And, Pinterest has pretty and cute patriotic and Army-themed things, like this entire pinboard of desserts and pastries. For the Army wife demographic, possibly?

We’ve reached out to the Army’s Public affairs office to get more insight into their social media strategy and how it works. But for now, we’ll just say that we’re impressed with what they pull off.

The Army knows what’s up content wise, in a PR sort of way, at least. Most of the stuff is more like promotional material than anything else, like this wounded soldier video or these heroic soldier photos on Flickr. The Army even understands social media’s potential to hurt its own cause. Since it uses it as a PR tool, rather than a news or information portal, the wrong kind of messages can make it look bad. Hence the social media guide it put out last summer.”

While of course this platform wouldn’t necessarily relate or work for every company and every industry, it’s important to sometimes dig a little deeper and really think about who you can market to. The Army is taking the time to recognize that there is a whole entire community behind almost every facet of their institution and they are taking advantage of including everyone. To read more on what they’ve accomplished, click on the link to view the entire article. Click here to view the Army’s Pinterest and see what they’re up to.

Has your company tried out Pinterest yet or are you waiting to see whether or not Pinterest sticks around as it is relatively new?

Has your company tried Pinterest and had success or not much activity? Share you experiences with us.

You’ve submitted a countless number of resumes and cover letters, stumbled your way through phone screenings and met potential employers during interviews time and time again, but still haven’t managed to land a new job. You go on one interview and wait by the phone or check your email only to find that you have been dismissed for one reason or another. Maybe your resume has all the right skills, but you weren’t able to convey them to the recruiter? Maybe your personality was spot on, but the hiring manager just didn’t feel that you would be a good fit for the company culture? Starting to feel that no matter how many interviews you go on, you just won’t be able to find the position you’re looking for? It might be a good time to think check out a new list complied by Tlnt.com on, “The Top 30 Most Common (and Critical) Interview Problems.” Not only does the list offer common problems, but it’s broken down into three critical components: “The 15 most critical problems that can occur with interviews, Problems with the interviewer, and Common interview process errors.”

Before we reveal a few things that you might be doing wrong during interviews, it’s important to understand that not all hope is lost. Have the confidence to acknowledge that job searching isn’t easy, even with reports that the job market is improving, being unemployed is hard work and the fact that you have been able to secure an interview is certainly something to be proud of. If you’re looking for a way to clinch the deal, check out these number one issues that you might accidentally be repeating:

9. Saying what they want to hear. Interviewees frequently provide the “answers” that they believe that the interviewer wants to hear, rather than the most accurate answer. Interviewees frequently lie or omit key facts, unfortunately, interviewers do the same.

20. Interviewer fatigue. After many interviews in a row, the interviewer is tired and their judgment weakens.

29. Skills demonstrated in the interview are not required for “this job.” Interview scores tend to vary based on the candidates interpersonal and communication skills but this particular job might not require even average interpersonal skills. Thus some jobs (i.e. receptionist, salesperson and recruiter) lend themselves to being assessed through interviews, while for some other jobs (like programmers, artists and meter readers), interviews may be horrible predictors of the candidates on the job success because they work alone.

To see the entire list of problems during interviews, click on the link to read the rest of the article. Don’t forget, sometimes the problems don’t lie with the interviewee. A number of things on the list are not necessarily about the potential candidate, but are a reflection of the interviewer. Some of these things might seem out of your control, for example, how can you help it if the person interviewing you is experiencing “Interviewer fatigue?” Try to time your interviews so that you are not the second to last to be heard or so that you are not interviewed at the very end of the day when most people start to mentally prepare themselves to leave work. Again, don’t forget that the fact that you have secured an interview in the first place certainly speaks highly of your cover letter or resume at least, and best of luck!

 Have you experienced some of these problems while interviewing? What have you done to combat these common issues?

While we tend to stress the importance of social media in HR, some companies and organizations still aren’t interested or come up with the same excuses on why they don’t want to introduce Facebook and other vital networking sites into their recruitment campaigns.

FistfulofTalent.com recently posted an article, “3 Myths About Recruiting on Facebook – Haters Love to Argue!” that pretty much sums up in a few paragraphs why the same old excuses not to use social media are invalid and outdated. As the article explains, “Five years ago I was invited to speak at a corporate event by a Fortune 500 company, by their HR Department, to speak to their employees about the advantages of joining LinkedIn as a ‘professional network.’   Do you remember those times?  When HR folks were actually encouraging their software developers, engineers, and professional level employees to join LinkedIn?! Today, HR/Talent Pros would be publicly hanged for encouraging their IT staff and other hard to find talent to put their profiles up on LinkedIn.  You are basically encouraging your employees to go out and put up a billboard that says: ‘I’m available! Come find me and make me an offer!’  That is what LinkedIn has become – Generation-Next-Job-Board.  Don’t get me wrong – I love LinkedIn!  They are one of the largest sources of talent for my company.  When I was on the corporate side of the Talent desk – I still loved LinkedIn – because I could more easily yank talent from my competitors – but I also hated it for that same reason! Facebook is what LinkedIn was 5 years ago – the Haters just don’t want to admit it.”

Still not speaking your language? Here are the myths and reasons behind them condensed:

 “1. Facebook is for your private life – LinkedIn is for your professional Life!

You hear this right!  This is the same type of myth that LinkedIn perpetuated for years – ‘We are a professional network!’ – yeah, right.  You might have started that way – but you are now one big job board – thank you!   Facebook is a ‘social’ network.  Yes, but this is fast changing and will continue to change as people become more comfortable living one life, and learning how to use the Facebook tools and Apps to have both a social life and a professional life on Facebook.

2. There are too many people on Facebook to be effective as a recruiting source.

This is the lazy myth.  Basically, the haters are going to discount Facebook because there are too many people to choose from and that’s hard.  Sorry – you don’t get to say that!  Figure it out – the talent is there, the tools to find them are there – stop making excuses!  Facebook is 1 degree of separation for every person in the world.  Any time you spend trying to figure out how to take advantage of that won’t be a waste.

3. Facebook is a fad, it will be die out in 3 years.

The one thing I know for sure is, Facebook has changed how our society communicates.  As a recruiting Pro – I want to be a part of how our society communicates. Will something new come out – sure it will. Will Facebook be gone in 3 years – probably not!   In the meantime, we have been given a list of every possible candidate we might ever want to contact, or at least be within one contact point of every candidate – Fade or not – Talent Pros need to take advantage – now. If it’s dead in 3 years, I’ll move to the next source – but for now – I’m using it!”

Now stop making excuses and buying into the same myths. Start incorporating social media into your recruitment efforts and see what these networking sites can do for your company. Even if you’re still not sure, why not at least give it a try for a few months and compare your results?

Has your company embraced Facebook.com and other sites in recruiting efforts? Have you seen good results or do you still believe that social media doesn’t help, or even harms your efforts?

InformationWeek.com has presented us with an unusual study that proves that utilizing social media is actually better for gaining control over your privacy than not. But how is this possible, you ask? Is your company of the mindset that using social media completely obliterates the concept of privacy at its very definition? Check out the results of this Google study and learn how sharing can actually aid in privacy instead of eliminate it.

As the article highlights, “sharing can shape your reputation, thereby building trust and privacy, Google research says. ‘Clean coal,’ meet ‘privacy-aware sharing.’ Let the oxymoron wars begin.” The article clarifies by explaining the study in more detail. “In the wake of Google’s decisions to condense its privacy policies and correlate user information across its services, as well as to automatically establish Google+ accounts for people who sign up for Google Accounts, a Google research scientist has chosen what appears to be an opportune time to argue that social networks enhance privacy.

In a paper titled ‘Vanity or Privacy? Social Media as a Facilitator of Privacy and Trust,’ to be presented next month at the 2012 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, or (2012 CSCW), Google researcher Jessica Staddon contends that social media facilitates trust and engagement by promoting self-representation and by reflecting community views. ‘[W]e present survey evidence that ‘vanity’ searches are associated with an important privacy need,’ Staddon writes. ‘We also present evidence compatible with the conjecture that social annotations in search support privacy by enabling better self-representation and thus more privacy-aware sharing.’”

So what exactly does this mean and how can you determine whether or not this really protects your privacy? Start by defining it first: “In order to not reject Staddon’s argument outright, let’s define privacy in the way Google search defines it:

1. The state or condition of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people.

2. The state of being free from public attention.

Using this definition of privacy offered by Google search, social media just doesn’t work. You can have sharing or you can have privacy. You can’t have both. But of course you can’t run a social network or social search engine under this regime. That’s why the privacy policies of leading Internet companies describe not efforts to safeguard information, but the conditions under which information is shared. Were privacy policies renamed ‘virginity policies,’ they’d describe the conditions under which children are begotten rather than practices that preserve chastity. One company has recognized the absurdity of titling documents that describe information usage ‘privacy policies.’ Facebook no longer has a privacy policy. It now has a data use policy, a name that actually reflects the purpose of the policy.”

Still, Staddon’s theory is shaky based on the fact that “privacy” can be defined in a few different ways. How does she combat this? “Staddon did not immediately respond to an email seeking a definition of the term ‘privacy’ as the word applies to her study. But let it suffice to say that ‘privacy’ is a tricky word to define. As the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy puts it, ‘The term ‘privacy’ is used frequently in ordinary language as well as in philosophical, political, and legal discussions, yet there is no single definition or analysis or meaning of the term.’ (As long as you don’t type ‘define:privacy’ into Google.) Staddon’s paper concedes that social media can pose privacy problems. ‘The abundance of communication that social media enables clearly can lead to privacy problems, often with severe personal consequences,’ the paper says. ‘Jobs have been lost, marriages ended, and court cases won all because of unintended sharing of online social communication.’ Yet, Staddon counters that social media ‘also leads to huge privacy advantages by facilitating perception, both in terms of understanding of one’s online self, particularly as driven by the inputs of others, and self-representation.’”

Okay, so perhaps the study presents a little bit of a stretch. Social media doesn’t exactly protect your company’s privacy, but there is a little bit of a loophole here on how social media can save your privacy based on the idea that it can serve as a form of public relations for your reputation. Depending on how your company represents itself online can in a way shield and enhance your company’s brand.

Does your company believe that social media can “protect” privacy? Does your company use it to shield and enhance your company’s brand?

So you’re in the middle of your professional career and you want to sharpen your skills, or maybe, you’re a job seeker and you happen to find yourself with some free time. You’ve heard before that embracing social media, learning the ins and outs of popular sites such as LinkedIn, and blogging can help your career, but you’re still not convinced? The Get Busy Living Blog posted a piece on the “10 Reasons To Start a Blog Today.” From networking opportunities to brushing up on your writing proficiency, blogging offers many rewards that are sometimes overlooked.

Here are just a few of the benefits of blogging, straight from a fellow blogger:

“1. You will meet a variety of great people.

Since I’ve started this blog, I’ve gotten to know some awesome people online. Not only do I love what they write and what they’re doing, but I love getting to know them.

When I went to Las Vegas to get married, a blogger I’ve gotten to know, Steve Roy from Ending the Grind was out there at the same time. We set up a time to meet and we literally just walked around the Wynn/Encore casino and talked.

Just last week in Taipei, I met Matthew Hooper, who I met through Twitter one day when I first started and got to know him throughout the year. We just happen to be back visiting Taipei at the same time. Matt, a Canadian, actually lived in Taipei for eight years and met his wife here. Plus he worked with Eleanor at a language school many years ago. Small world!!

I know I’ll meet more in person in the near future.

I’ve read stories of people who’ve attended Blog World or World Domination Summit and finally met long time blogging friends, and made new ones.

You know what I’ve found too? Bloggers are some of the nicest people out there.

If you want to know how to reach out to bloggers, read Adrienne Smith’s post about how to do it.

3. It can lead to publishing a book

It does seem like some bloggers would love to publish a book. With a blog, if you’ve built up a huge audience you, that could help in your book proposal. Even if you don’t go the traditional route, you could self publish on the Kindle, which many are doing today.

Pamela Slim has a book called Escape From Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur (great book), which started out as a blog by the same name. She didn’t start the blog with the intention of writing a book, but later was approached to write a book on her expertise.

Another blog to book is 1000 Awesome Things, by Neil Patel.

Neil started posting awesome things every weekday, got a book deal, and it turned into a New York Times #1 bestseller.

There is a blog called Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander. He says it’s about “a scientific approach to highlight and explain stuff white people like. They are pretty predictable.”

He got a book deal after three months (wow) and it turned into a New York Times bestseller, aptly called Stuff White People Like and now Whiter Shades of Pale.

Jenny Blake, another blog to book blogger (say that five times fast), wrote a guest post on the pros and cons of it. Great for those interested in publishing.

If you’re looking to publish your first book this year, Chris Guillibeau has a guide to teaches you how to write, sell, and publish your book (aff link).

5. You can make a difference

The first thing that comes to mind is using your blog as a way to raise money for a charity.

Tim Ferris does it often on his blog.

Last year after the Japan earthquake and tsunami, I saw tweets about a fundraiser organized by Lavonne Ellis. A donation gave you a bunch of products donated by bloggers to help your blog and business grow. Plus you were entered in a drawing for some premium products and services.

I just read they raised $5,385 plus got a matching grant to double the amount! It’s really cool that a bunch of bloggers did that.

It doesn’t just have to be amount money. You can bring attention about issues in your community, nation, or the world. You can make a difference in many ways through your blog.

6. It can give you a voice

A blog lets you be heard. The blog is your platform. You can share whatever you want with your readers. You can share your opinion. You can teach. You can inspire. You can inform.

The important thing is it’s coming from you. You have a voice.”

If you’re still not sure if blogging is right for you, click on the link to view all 10 reasons why you should start a blog today. Hesitant about what to write? Here’s the key- the most important thing is the start on something. It doesn’t necessarily have to be entirely professional or technical. Choose a topic that you are interested in and go at it. Learn new things, teach others through your blog and really focus on writing about what you’re passionate about. Just the fact that you are writing can be seen as valuable in and out of the workplace.

Are you a die-hard blogger? What do you write about and how has blogging helped your career? 

Last night I went to a Mexican restaurant that very recently opened in town. While the food was fantastic, the service was a little off and it made the experience less than perfect. Maybe it’s because the restaurant just opened and they’re still finding their footing. Maybe our waiter was overwhelmed and just couldn’t seem to keep up with everything going on around him. Regardless of the reason, my company and I had walked in with higher expectations and when they weren’t met, we found ourselves wondering how the other tables had fared. Thinking back on it, maybe we should have read some online reviews before choosing which restaurant to go to. After all, there are so many people who take advantage of this technology and they exercise it liberally. Not sure where to go? Try Yelp.com, Yahoo or other sites that offer reviews. But what happens when someone writes up a bad review about your company online for millions to see? Fortunately for you, and for that restaurant, Smartblog has written up a way to help deflect these issues, and think of it not just for the food service industry, but for any industry.

As the article explains, “It’s human nature to want to defend yourself when online reviews take swipes at the restaurant you’ve spent years of time, toil and cash to build, but it’s almost always better to set your emotions aside and let the practical side of your mind take over before putting fingers to keyboard.” Again, think of this for any kind of company. The internet is readily available to all kinds of people seeking all kinds of service. The article gives an example of a bad situation for a small business owner:

“Example: Atlanta barbecue-joint owner Andrew Capron found that out the hard way, when he used Facebook to publicize an emotional and expletive-studded response to a negative Yelp review by a patron who was less than thrilled with her meal at Boners BBQ, according to media outlets including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fox. The exchange prompted a firestorm of criticism from bloggers, and Capron later apologized for what he acknowledged was bad judgment. Worse, the response could end up being a costly mistake for his business.

 

Reviews, back in the day: A decade or so ago, the old system of restaurant reviews written by professional critics and published in mainstream and alternative press allowed eateries to frame and post the positive stories on their walls, and perhaps find some constructive tips in negative press while waiting a few weeks for the story to become a distant memory. Not so today, when every one of your guests has an online voice and the ability to write critiques that may conceivably show up every time another consumer searches the Web to find someplace to eat.”

So if bloggers have the freedom to take complaints and critiques to the internet (that are usually justified, but sometimes unfounded) what can you do to help prevent the spoiling of your company’s name?

 “The plus side of online reviews: Good reviews on Yelp can boost business for independent eateries. A Harvard University study released in the fall found that the emergence of online review sites such as Yelp have leveled the playing field for independent restaurants that compete with bigger chains, and a one-star increase in Yelp ratings can boost sales as much as 9%. The findings give mom-and-pop restaurants that earn online praise a reason to cheer, while the right response for eateries whose customers report on less-than-stellar experiences may not be as clear.

How to respond: Yelp offers restaurant owners tips on responding to negative and positive reviews, advising proprietors first and foremost to remember that their reviewers also are their paying customers. When it comes to bad reviews, Yelp cautions owners about the very type of venting Capron engaged in, urging restaurateurs to  ‘just keep your message simple: thank you for the business and the feedback. If you can be specific about the customer’s experience and any changes you may have made as a result, this could go very far in earning trust.’”

Don’t forget, this could happen to any business- small or large- offering any service in any industry. Yelp.com also offers reviews on dentists, salons, doctors, etc. You name it, they review it. While Yelp offers some tips on how to deal with poor reviews, the biggest and most important is probably, do not ignore a bad review. Use a simple response, or be more specific if you feel inclined, but address the issue just as you would if someone called your office to complain. You wouldn’t hang up on them without hearing them out first, would you?

As the owner or manager of a business, have you experienced a poor online review about your company and, if so, how did you handle it?

According to an article titled “Want better employees? Ask better questions in job interviews” posted to TheGlobeandMail.com, hiring manager should take more time asking questions that not only measure a candidate’s skill level, but also gauge how well the individual will do in your company’s workplace environment based on their attitude and personality type. For example, you wouldn’t want to hire an incredibly passive or shy individual for a sales position that might require meeting new people, giving presentations or making cold calls, if they are uncomfortable speaking in front of people.

The article explains, “Tell me about … your biggest weakness … your favourite colour … the superhero you most admire. At least 70 per cent of employers still ask lame, predictable questions such as these in job interviews. That’s why they often miss clues that a candidate is destined to be a flop as an employee, leadership coach Mark Murphy found in a study his company did, which became the basis for his new book, Hiring for Attitude. The study tracked 20,000 newly hired employees in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, and found that 46 per cent of them had either been dismissed or received poor performance reviews or written reprimands over the course of the past three years. ‘Most new hires don’t fail for lack of skill. Rather, their underlying personalities and attitudes aren’t a good match for the job and the organization,’ Mr. Murphy concluded.”

But how can you tell based on a single interview if this candidate has the right attitude for your workplace? Don’t worry- Murphy’s got that covered too:

“Five main issues that led to failure:

Coachability: In 26 per cent of failures, the employees were unable to accept and use feedback from bosses, colleagues or customers.

Emotional intelligence: In 23 per cent, the issue was inability to manage their emotions and accurately assess others’ reactions or expectations.

Motivation: For 17 per cent, the issue was lack of sufficient drive to reach their potential and excel in the job.

Temperament: In 15 per cent of the cases, their personality didn’t suit their job or their team.

Technical competence: In only 11 per cent of cases, the person’s functional skills weren’t up to the job.”

Still not sure how to gauge a potential employee’s attitude? Murphy explains what changes a company to their interview process and how they found success. “A good example, he said, is the Toronto-based Four Seasons Hotels chain. ‘In their interviews, they treat candidates like they treat their guests, and they expect that candidates will reciprocate,’ he said. For example, ‘even when candidates are waiting for the interview, do they greet each other? Are they polite and make eye contact? And their interview questions are designed to reveal underlying personality and attitudes.’ Interviewing for attitude will become increasingly important as organizations realize they can’t hire as many people as they did in the past and they want to ensure they get people with the right fit, Mr. Murphy said. ‘When you only have 60 minutes or so in an interview, it makes no sense to ask questions that people can prepare for in advance and don’t tell much about underlying attitudes.’”

Murphy actually encourages hiring managers to “Avoid questions that lead toward hypothetical situations. You want to know how people actually responded in historic moments rather than wax philosophical.”

Have you, as a hiring manager, found a successful method of gauging attitude and personality during your interviews that wasn’t mentioned here? If so, what have you done and how has it worked?

As we are coming to the end of another long year, it is easy to forget the basic manners we were taught as children and apply them to the workplace. While this year hasn’t always been easy like a few before it, sometimes we all need a little reminder to thank the people around us who helped make it a little less stressful and a little more productive. An article recently posted to Business News Daily echoes this same sentiment and during the holidays is the perfect time to let people know how much they really do make a difference, even if it isn’t always obvious at first. The article titled, “Staff Recognition Results in More Productive Teams” reveals why now (better late than never!) is the best time to reach out to your staff and say a simple “Thank you.”

The article explains, “Businesses that take time to recognize employees for their hard work this holiday season can expect a staff that is more motivated and productive, according to researchers with the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Many of the professors, who teach at universities and colleges across the country, agreed that there are long-term benefits to companies that give gifts and parties to their employees. Providing celebrations, bonuses and other forms of year-end acknowledgement has symbolic significance beyond the objective value that may be attached, said Kimberly Merriman, an assistant professor of management and organization at Pennsylvania State University.”

But what is your business is currently a little strapped for cash and end of the year bonuses aren’t possible at this time? Fear not. Even something as simple as a holiday party in the office, allowing employees to dress casually and order a pizza or two, is a perfect way to send a positive message to your staff. The article reiterates- “‘They send a message that the employment relationship is more than simply a transactional one,’ Merriman said. ‘That message is especially important to convey if employees have endured a year of no raises, extra workloads, threats of layoff or many of the other conditions common in workplaces right now.’ But the recognition must be sincere for it to be effective, said Robert Eisenberger, a professor in the psychology department at the University of Houston. ‘If the employer just goes through the motions of giving a gift that doesn’t really indicate they value employees, then it doesn’t count for much,’ Eisenberger said. ‘What really is important is a genuine indication of valuation and caring.’”

If you’ve got a bit more to spend, consider taking employees to lunch or dinner, but really think about how to make it a little special and take time to think about what they might enjoy instead of a paperweight or a mug. “‘It’s easy to give them a few dollars, but taking the time to treat employees to a meal involves effort and planning,’ Eisenberger said. Tom Becker, chair and professor in the University of Delaware’s Department of Business Administration, notes it is important for supervisors to know each staff member’s needs and values in order to select a recognition or reward that employees will welcome. ‘For some, it might be money, and for others, a simple and sincere verbal acknowledgement of a job well done,’ Becker said, adding that nonmonetary recognition can be just as effective as a cash bonus.”

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you don’t forget that fundamental manners goes a long way in the workplace. Saying “please” and “thank you” can be done in so many creative ways that aren’t always pricey.

As a manager, how do you say “thank you” to your employees at the end of the year?

As an employee, what was the best “thank you” you ever received in the workplace during or apart from the holidays?

An article recently posted to the Harvard Business Review titled, “Why I Hire People Who Fail” reveals how Jeffrey Stibel, Chairman and CEO of Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp., reveals why he seeks candidates who have experienced defeat, learned and adapted. While you might be scratching your head thinking, “Why would I ever want to do that? Wouldn’t that just mean I’m leaving room for candidates who might fail my company?” Stibel actually does make some valid points in his piece.

Stibel starts off by explaining how this all began in his office. “One random Thursday night, I returned to our corporate headquarters afterhours with a bottle of wine and a box of acrylic paints. My assistant and I used stencils to paint about three dozen such quotes onto a large white wall in our break room. As first time stencilers, this project itself seemed destined to end up a byline on the (slightly gloppy) failure wall until we gratefully accepted some much-needed painting assistance from my wife. After we finished painting around 1:00AM, we fastened a dozen Sharpies to the wall alongside these simple instructions: (1) describe a time when you failed, (2) state what you learned, and (3) sign your name. To set the tone, I listed three of my own most memorable (and humbling) failures.”

The results at the meeting the next morning? Interesting, enlightening and overall helpful to the workplace in general. Stibel dubbed it the company’s “Failure Wall” and it offered some good incite. “In the beginning, the wall was met with surprise, curiosity and a bit of trepidation. We didn’t ask anyone to contribute and we didn’t tell people why it was there, but the wall quickly filled up. Some of the entries are life lessons: ‘After 7 years of practicing, I quit playing violin in high school to fit in. Lesson learned — who cares what other people think.’ Some are financial mishaps: ‘I thought buying Yahoo at $485 a share was a good idea.’ Many are self-deprecating: ‘My successful failure is working in online marketing when I came to LA to work in showbiz.’ Some are more than a little amusing: ‘I thought it was spelled ‘fale.’”

Okay, but what exactly does this mean and how did it help? Read on and find out:

 “I’ve said this before but it bears repeating: success by failure is not an oxymoron. When you make a mistake, you’re forced to look back and find out exactly where you went wrong, and formulate a new plan for your next attempt. By contrast, when you succeed, you don’t always know exactly what you did right that made you successful (often, it’s luck).

We don’t just encourage risk taking at our offices: we demand failure. If you’re not failing every now and then, you’re probably not advancing. Mistakes are the predecessors to both innovation and success, so it is important to celebrate mistakes as a central component of any culture. This kind of culture can only be created by example — it won’t work if it’s forced or contrived. A lively culture is nebulous, indefinable, ever-changing. Try to package it in a formal mission statement and you just may suffocate it.

The best way to shape culture is of course to focus on hiring the people who will ultimately make up that culture. Yet this is often overlooked, replaced with corporate values, slogans, and mission statements. It took billions of years to create and define all of the world’s great cultures — through failure after failure — so it is with arrogance alone that we executives think we can create and define one for our company. To be blunt, cultures are not created or defined by executives; they evolve around the people who make up a company.”

Have you as a hiring manager purposely sought out a candidate that might have admitted to “failing” at something? Was it a successful decision?

Have you as a job seeker found that admitting to past mistakes has helped your job search or interview process? Were you ever hired because of something you “failed” at in your past and overcame?

In the workplace there is frequently a sense of urgency that can sometimes hurt employees and production as opposed to help them. While you might think as a boss, manager or any position in which you supervise other employees, it is important to remember that when tasks start to pile up or when deadlines are approaching in mere minutes, to keep your cool and try to help your employees to do the same. According to an article recently posted to SmartBlog on Leadership titled, “Is stress ruining your leadership-development efforts?” there are some things to keep in mind on how to support your team during these pseudo dramatic moments.

The article begins by identifying the real problem and giving it a name- “Does your organization have a process for leadership development? If so, then you’ve probably heard about or experienced what I call the ‘pressure cooker’ experience: Toss a bunch of smart, driven people into a time-pressured scenario, ask them to perform a task and see how they handle it. It’s the corporate version of reality television’s ‘Celebrity Apprentice,’ minus The Donald’s bad comb-over. Many executives favor this format, reasoning that promotable people need to be able to handle high-pressure situations. This is true — but what’s the right mix of pressure and learning? I once heard an executive stand before a group of high-potentials and declare, ‘What we see during your presentation has the power to make or break your career. If you’re not able to deliver, don’t bother coming back tomorrow.’”

While this might sound like it makes sense on determining who your best employees are and weeding out the employees you deem to be too venerable for this type of work, it is actually harmful to your entire team. The article continues to clarify, “Here’s the problem with that over-the-top approach. There’s very little development going on. The word ‘develop’ means to aid in the growth of or to strengthen. If, in fact, the aim of leadership development is to aid in the growth of one’s leadership capabilities, then heaping on excessive stress is counterproductive.”

So how does this type of leadership really come off? Here are the three less-than-flattering ways it can be interpreted:

“It sends an ugly signal about organizational culture. There’s something sadistic about corporate leadership that intentionally applies pressure to the point of making its employees ill. These aspiring leaders want to do well. They don’t need ultimatums about their career to motivate them.

The focus is misplaced. When the message is your job is on the line, people focus on dazzling executives during the presentation, not on the foundational leadership skills needed in group projects like research, critical thinking and collaboration.

They won’t learn much. Excessive stress leads to production of the stress hormone, cortisol. The area of the brain that’s highly sensitive to cortisol is the hippocampus, which is the center for spatial awareness and memory formation. Simply put: too much stress equals no learning.”

To find out more about what you can do to prevent this from happening in your company culture, click on the link to read the entire article. As the piece concludes, “High-stakes project work makes for great reality TV, but it has no place in the learning environment.”

Have you as a hiring manager learned how to reign in the stress level and find a balance to keep your employees productive? If so, what have you done to support your team?

Have you as an employee experienced this in the workplace? What have you done to keep yourself sane a high stress environment?

In an article recently posted on US News Money titled, “10 Faux Pas to Avoid When Starting a New Job,” new hire mistakes range from poor etiquette to poor dress code. Considering the fact that it hasn’t been easy to find a job recently, the last thing you’d want to do is sabotage yourself within your first week, or even your first day of employment at a new workplace. It’s easier than you think to fall into bad habits in a new environment or to accidentally give off the wrong impression to co-workers. Although some of these mistakes might seem obvious a little reminder never hurts, especially if you have been out of the workforce for an extended period of time.

Here is a sampling of a few of the worst things you can do as a new hire:

 “1. The late bird gets in trouble. Being late occasionally is one thing, but chronic tardiness is another. Showing up perpetually late will put your new job at risk, so set your alarm earlier and get out the door on time.

5. Dress however you want. Even if you’d rather wear your slippers and daisy dukes to your new job, it could make you some enemies and put you on the black list immediately. Check out what everybody is wearing when you visit the office. A good rule of thumb is to dress more formally when you first start work. You can always dress down once you see that everyone is more casual. Also, pay attention to who dresses in what way. Managers may be dressier than their subordinates, so follow suit (pun intended). It never hurts to dress nicely!

7. Figure out the hard stuff on your own. Hate asking for help? Failing to do so could be detrimental to your paycheck if you make a big enough mistake. Don’t be a turkey—ask for help, ask questions. No one expects you to know everything early on, so it’s perfectly acceptable to ask once how to do something. Take notes to avoid having to ask the same question over and over.

8. Let your tasks stretch further than your job description. This one might not get you fired, but if you’re getting more and more work dumped on you that wasn’t mentioned in the interviews, you may be overloaded and want to quit. Make sure you fully understand the role. While many companies will want you to get your hands dirty and participate in duties that might not be ‘part of the job description,’ you’ll have to approach the subject with your manager if you find yourself in a situation where you are given much more than one person can handle.

9. Be who you think people want you to be. Everyone wants to put their best foot forward on a new job, but going overboard can make it hard for people to get to know the real you. Let your personality shine (quietly, if it’s a strong one). Never lie about your skills (or anything, really), and you’ll be on the fast track for success.”

Have you recently found yourself tip toeing towards any of these common pitfalls? Fortunately, once you know about some of these mistakes, most of them are easy to avoid as long as you can master some self-awareness. While it’s true that sometimes there is no avoiding certain conflict and that you “can’t always please everyone” steering clear of these new hire mistakes can help you at your new job in the long run. To read the entire list, view the full article to see more of what you should evade.

Did this list miss anything? Do you have another tip or two to add? Let us know what you think new hires should try to avoid when getting a feel for a new workplace.  

CBS Money Watch recently posted an article on the “Three types of bosses that should be fired,” offering hiring managers some incite on who they should avoid making an offer to at all costs. Why does this matter to you and your company? If you’re looking to hire a manager, executive or any position that will supervise the performance of other employees, it’s important to understand that not only should this candidate be qualified by typical standards (education, experience, etc.), but they should also possess the right personality type. How can you tell? This article can help you know what to look for in a manager and what to stay away from.

The commentary by the author starts by explaining, “I’ve had the opportunity to work with hundreds, maybe thousands of brilliant people over a 30-year career in high-tech… When it comes to management ability and leadership qualities, however, bosses tend to follow a pretty standard bell shaped curve: consistently successful managers at one narrow end, remarkably ineffective ones at the other end, and everyone else in between. After all the years, experiences, and observations, I’ve got a pretty good handle on what it takes to be a great manager and what kind of behavior will tend to land an executive at one end of the bell curve or the other. And while one size manager does not fit all situations, I have been able to identify, with relative certainty, three types of managers who shouldn’t be running anything, let alone an organization or a company. Not only will they fail, they’ll take the whole organization and everyone in it down with them.”

So what types of people make the list and why shouldn’t you hire them? Here are the three that make the list:

“The smartest guy in the room: This is the guy who has all the answers and can never, ever be wrong. He doesn’t just breathe his own fumes or drink his own Kool-Aid, he makes and mass-markets it, as well. He wants everyone to agree with his grandiose vision of how things should be and makes sure of that by surrounding himself with yes-men and women and ruthlessly beating down dissenting views.

The reason these people fail is they’re blinded by the power of their own vision and therefore lack objectivity. They tend to be rigid and inflexible in their thinking and unwilling to see what’s really happening until it’s too late. Unfortunately, markets don’t behave according to anyone’s plan. They’re populated by competitors and customers with free will and have a funny way of determining their own outcome.

It’s all about me: Some people never grow up but get stuck in one phase or another of human development. They look just like normal adults, but inside, they’re petulant, narcissistic children with oversized egos. Since their overriding goal is to get attention, to be adulated and worshipped by all, they’re often charismatic and charming, almost chameleon-like in the way they appeal to all sorts of constituents. And their positions and strategies can flip and flop from one day to the next based on one data point, meeting, or conversation.

While a healthy ego is necessary and good for leaders, business isn’t really about any particular individual. It’s about meeting customer needs, achieving long-term growth and success for shareholders and employees, and being passionate about your products and services. People who think free market capitalism is about selfish greed couldn’t be more wrong. Every company, board, CEO, executive team, serves its stakeholders and constituents. If it doesn’t, it’ll fail.

The has-been: We may as well call him by his name, Peter, because this person is more or less defined by the Peter Principle. Peter was once effective and successful; at least it appeared that way. But the situation had a narrow set of boundaries and variables and now, things have changed and Peter is out of his depth, beyond his level of competency.

Perhaps he was promoted, the company grew, the market changed, or he’s now in a new position in a new company. Regardless of the circumstances, Peter is no longer effective and his inability to see or believe it renders him toxic to the organization. For whatever reason, Peter lacks the ability to grow, scale, or adapt. And since he’s still in a position of power and authority, he’s not just an old relic, but a heavy anchor around the company’s neck.”

The article concludes by asking a question we would also like to present to you, “Got one to add to the list?” Can you think of a type of boss that should never be in that kind of position? Have you worked with or under one of these employees? What was your experience?

As a hiring manager, what steps do you take to ensure you are hiring a manager that doesn’t fall into one of these categories?

A recent article posted to CNNMoney titled, “How flexible work actually works” delves into some workplace issues such as time clocks and sick leave, offering suggestions based on what a few companies chose to change and how it worked out. While we recently posted a blog on how working from home might not be the best choice for everyone, what about a more flexible workplace? Some people consider this a workplace “perk,” but are these perks actually effective enough to consider mandating them in some companies? This article sure makes a decent argument for it. “Imagine unlimited paid vacation and sick leave, with no mandated office hours. Chaos, right?  Not according to a handful of award-winning employers profiled in a new report on effective workplaces.”

The article starts of by examining a company and their policies- MeetingMatrix. “At MeetingMatrix International, a communications firm based in Portsmouth, N.H., employees have no defined work schedules, unlimited paid time off, and meetings are optional. How do they ever get any work done? That’s actually the only thing that matters: results. MeetingMatrix executives point to longer customer support hours, increased sales during a down economy, and 100% retention as evidence that their focus on the end results — and not hours in the office — works.

‘When you start treating people like adults, they start acting like it,’ says the company’s CEO Jmichaele Keller, who in 2008 shelved his company’s employee monitoring systems in favor of a more flexible approach. Under the new regime, ‘people have a lot of ability to shape what is going on in their world and not a lot of micromanaging…. There really is no direct tie in an office environment between the amount of time spent and the productivity of that individual.’”

Are you under the impression that your company is just as flexible and hasn’t seen these kinds of results, especially in the midst of the recent recession? CNNMoney examines “Faux-flexibility vs. the real deal” next. “‘Because of the recession and because of the global economy and because of technology, work has become so much more demanding,’ says Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute. Galinsky says that successful companies have begun to tackle these challenges by legitimately loosening their hold on their employees rather than resorting to halfway measures. For instance, companies that replace a 9 to 5 schedule with ‘flexible’ hours of 7 to 3 aren’t necessarily accommodating employees’ need to handle personal affairs, whether it’s a sick child, leaky bathtub, or car repair. Other businesses are redesigning work such that incentives and rewards are aligned with the results that an employee delivers — not the hours that they show their faces in the office, Galinsky says.”

But is this too much freedom? How can these companies be sure this is a problem and this is the solution? The tax company, Ryan, proved it through their own experience after losing one of their best employees. “Ryan, a tax services firm based in Dallas. A few years ago, a resignation letter from a rising star in the company prompted CEO G. Brint Ryan to reevaluate the firm’s focus on long hours and face time.

An article recently posted to Fast Company titled, “Giving Kick-Ass Presentations In The Age Of Social Media” shares 7 tips on how to create impressive presentations for the tech savvy. The piece starts off by including an anecdote about a presentation gone wrong. “It was painful to watch. Jon Bond, the former ad giant turned social media honcho, was actually getting heckled at the Pivot Conference. When faced with what was a feisty crowd to begin with, Bond admitting that he ‘didn’t like Twitter’ was like throwing fresh meat at rabid dogs. But rather than raise their voices, they let their fingers do the shouting. So while Bond continued to speak, a steady stream of snarky tweets projected on the wall behind him, acting like foghorns and essentially drowning him out.” Sound familiar at all? Ever finish what you thought was a great presentation, only to find that critics took to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. to demolish your appearance entirely? Read on, friends.

“Being a great speaker was never easy, but now, with your audience likely to have a mobile device in hand and real-time access to multiple social channels, the challenges have gotten that much greater. To get a sense of the impact of social media on conference presentations, I interviewed a bunch of regulars on the social media circuit. In the process, they helped me identify these seven (somewhat snarky) new rules for public speaking in the social media era.” So what to do when you’re nervous about what to say?

Here are a few golden tips they have shared:

1. Don’t Panic if They Aren’t Looking at You

Sure, it’s disconcerting when you gaze out at the audience and no one looks back. But whatever you do–don’t panic. Just because they are transfixed by their mobile devices, doesn’t mean they aren’t all ears. “I think the body language tells you if they’re paying attention–it’s far more distracting to see people whispering to each other than it is to see someone tapping on an iPad” said Jenny Dervin, VP of Corporate Communications at JetBlue, who received raves at a recent BDI event.

 2. Stifle the Temptation to Ask for a Device Moratorium

As tempting as it might be to ask your audience to shut down their devices, every speaker I talked to thought this would be a huge mistake. “I might get their undivided attention, but it would be mixed with their ire at being told how to watch my presentation,” said former actor and speaker extraordinaire John C. Havens, who reminded me that in the old days, before digital devices, a lot of people would take notes on a pad of paper, which isn’t all that different than tapping out a tweet.

 3. If You Aren’t Nervous, You Should Be Now

When I first learned public speaking, an experience advisor suggested that you “imagine the audience is naked,” to quell the initial butterflies. Today, speakers are probably better off reminding themselves that they are the naked ones. If your facts are wrong, your audiences will Google then tweet the corrected data before you can say, “I’m just sayin’.” And if that isn’t scary enough, as author and speaker Jeff Jarvis proclaimed last year at TED-NY, “the lecture, as a form, is bull****,” so you better ask yourself what you’re doing up there, anyway!

 4. If You Don’t Speak Twitterese, It’s Time to Learn It

Let’s just imagine for the moment that your audience is absolutely riveted by your every word. Chances are some, if not many of them, will want to share your wisdom with their network, not tomorrow when they get back to the office, but right at that very moment. It is for this reason today’s effective speakers are not just sharing their Twitter handles upfront but also mixing in tweetable quotes. “Puns, sound bites and pithy phrases are [also] ways to aid in retention,” Havens said.

The article mentions that all of this valuable information is actually from some credible sources, just in case you were wondering. “All of the people we spoke to for this piece are very effective speakers, and though each has their own distinctive style, there are a few other commonalities I’d like to point out. First, none of them depend on word-laden PowerPoint presentations. Second, most are good storytellers and use humor, often self-deprecating, to connect with their audiences. Finally, each of them manages to keep their presentations short enough to allow time for a healthy Q&A.” To read all of the tips the article offers, click on the link to view.

 Have you ever experienced problems with your presentations and keeping your customers, employees or any other audience engaged? Have any of these tips helped for you? Do you have any tips that aren’t mentioned here? If so, feel free to share them below!

If you answered “yes” then you might want to reevaluate what you’re tweeting. While not every company has jumped onto the social media bandwagon, there are many that are starting to see the light and incorporate Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more into their advertising campaigns and even their business plans. But does your company really use social media to its fullest even to respond to complaints or would your company’s use of social media seem frightening to your customers?

An article posted to eMarketer.com asked an important question, “When Consumers Tweet Complaints, Should Brands Respond?” Although this might seem like a hassle and the last thing to do on your work to-do list, the article reveals “consumers view brands that respond via Twitter positively.”

Think this is just a Halloween trick? For a treat, here’s a brief excerpt from the article that details why you should be responding to consumers no matter what method they use to reach you:

“For many social network users, Twitter is both a water cooler and a complaint department. Although most are there to engage with peers, many consumers are using Twitter to talk about their experiences with brands—and from time to time share their grievances. As more and more brands have joined Twitter, consumers’ expectation for interaction with brands has risen.

According to customer experience research company Maritz Research, nearly half of consumers who tweeted a complaint directed toward a brand expected the company to respond—or at least to read their tweet. However, only a third of those consumers received a tweeted response from the mentioned brand.

Consumers ages 55 and older are particularly expectant of a company to read their complaint on Twitter. Gen Y and Gen X consumers, who tend to be more active on Twitter, were less hopeful that a company would read their complaint—perhaps because they believe those expectations will not be met.

Despite the gap between consumer expectations and brand delivery, consumers are overwhelmingly positive when brands take the time to actually respond to them on Twitter. The Maritz study indicates that 86% of Twitter complainers would have liked or loved to hear from the company regarding their complaints—and out of those who heard back, 75% were satisfied with the company’s response.”

Click the link to view the research in its entirety and more details on results from utilizing social media aggressively. How does this translate for your company? Get to tweeting back to your consumers or you might realize the nightmare of losing them. Boo!

Does your company incorporate social media and take it a step further by actively responding to consumers’ complaints, praise or inquiries?

An article posted on Inc.com titled, “Sheldon Yellen: Why I Went on Undercover Boss” follows Sheldon Yellen’s experience when he decided to go undercover to gain more insight on his employees and their everyday work. While many might consider the television show just another reality program aimed at entertaining the masses, Yellen explains in this interview how the adventure actually helped him relate better to his employees.

First the article discusses a little bit about this background, “Sheldon Yellen had an inkling that he was out of touch with his 6,400 employees. After all, as the CEO of Belfor Holdings (No. 4,753 on the 2009 Inc. 5000) a $1 billion diversified building services company based in Birmingham, Michigan, Yellen oversees Belfor Property Restoration, the largest property restoration company in the world with 195 offices in 27 countries.” The next few questions offer details of what Yellen’s new responsibilities became and what he did on the job.

“What job positions did you tackle as part of your undercover operation?

I first did demolition, and then I was extracting water and drying out a property. I was asked to crawl under the crawl space of that home to remove installation under the house. My third stop, I was hanging dry wall; and my fourth stop I did soot and smoke removal.

Were the jobs what you expected?

For 53-years-old, it was all difficult for me—physically and mentally, especially being around people that are in a distressed state of mind after a disaster happens—a flood or fire—and they’ve lost everything. The job task itself, people can do and get done. But doing it, while carrying around the burden of everyday life that everyone has and making sure your mindset is right to bring about order to somebody else’s life when your own life may be in chaos—that is a hard task.”

He also explains how this project helped him become more aware of what his employees do everyday, how they think and ultimately how he can be a better CEO because of it.

“How important is having a 360-view of your organization?

The closer the top management can be to the people who are doing the heavy lifting every day, the better the organization can be more sustainable. It gives you a real grounded sense of what’s important. And what’s important in an organization, to me, is people. That is your single greatest asset. Employee retention is very important. I think then it breeds a culture of growth from within. You want to see your people succeed and grow as individuals. Our people are promoted from within. We don’t go outside, hire people and put them in positions of authority. Our managers today started out as trade’s people and I think that’s a very healthy culture. And our productivity levels—as we’ve done 80 some acquisitions in this country alone and we’ve looked at the financial statements of over 150 competitors—are four times our competition because our people know that they are a part of something that’s real.

How do you ensure that your managers and executives move forward with your vision?

I spend my time traveling around and meeting with my management team all over the world. I spend an enormous amount of time on the phone. I don’t believe in e-mail. I believe in having a personal touch. I hand write 6,000 birthday cards a year. I probably write an equal number of thank you notes a year. So between my personal handwriting of 12,000 notes and my phone calls—I call my managers on their birthdays, call on anniversaries, I go to weddings, I show up unfortunately to funerals, I make hospital visits—that’s how I stay in touch and communicate with people.

What is the biggest mistake CEOs make in communicating to employees?

Sometimes a CEO will say something that hasn’t been thought through and then takes it upon himself to just renege on what it was that he or she said. And I think that is just a criminal offense. You’ve got to be very careful what you say and you have to know who your audience is, because if you say it, you have to live it.”

To read more about what Yellen got out of this process, click on the link above to see the whole article.

As a manager or anyone with a position that involves supervision, have you experienced what your employees do day-to-day? Do you feel that you can relate, or is there a disconnect? What have you tried to do to help close that gap?

As an employee, do you feel that your manager or supervisor really understands what your day-to-day job entails? Is there a big disconnect where you are employed and if so, have you noticed any efforts to close that gap?

According to an article on BusinessNewsDaily.com, hiring managers should start thinking more carefully before they remove an applicant from their potential pool of candidates simply because they are what appears to be “overqualified.” While this might sound like common sense to some, considering the economic forecast recently, many employers tend to over look the overqualified and move on to employees that have less experience or education, typically costing the employer less; however, this article argues that might not be the best route for most companies to take.

One of the main reasons is highlighted by the article, setting the tone from the very first sentence, explaining what some might consider the obvious, “While many employers may shy away from hiring overqualified candidates, new research shows they might be the best people for the job.” But we’ve all heard that this might be the case. Again, many employers make their decisions based on cost and don’t always consider the long run, so what really solidifies this information? “While past investigations have revealed that overqualified employees are generally dissatisfied with their jobs and constantly looking for a new employer, a recent study by Aleksandra Luksyte, a professor at the University of Western Australia, finds that giving those same employees challenging assignments can have a strong positive impact on the business.

Specifically, the study shows that overqualified employees who are handed assignments that give them an opportunity to freely make decisions, coordinate or lead others, or be responsible for the outcomes of their work actions, were more likely to put greater effort into both their performance and promoting organizational welfare.” In other words, you get what you pay for and if you’re willing to pay for more experience, education and etc. than you’re ultimately getting more bang for your buck. “‘When overqualified people are placed into challenging jobs, they seem to be motivated to utilize all their under-realized potential into becoming excellent employees,’ Luksyte told BusinessNewsDaily. ‘Our results suggest that by placing overqualified employees in complex jobs, employers may be able to influence the most important work behaviors of their overqualified incumbents.’”

Not only would your company ultimately benefit from hiring someone with more qualifications for their own tasks and duties, but also furthermore, the article goes on to reveal that these individuals also have an impact on those other employees around them. “The research also found that overqualified employees given challenging tasks were stimulated to help their co-workers with professional concerns, such as helping out with a heavy workload, and personal issues, like cheering them up on a bad day. ‘Interestingly, they were reluctant to display counterproductive work behaviors such as neglecting their supervisors’ instructions,’ Luksyte said.” Have any employees that sometimes sport a competitive nature? Hiring overqualified individuals can spark this in others, causing a domino effect of motivation. “Luksyte believes her research shows that hiring and retaining overqualified people could be a competitive advantage, if done right.

‘A fruitful strategy could be one that involves improving aspects of job complexity, such as freedom to make decisions, work structure, participative decision making, heightened responsibility for outcomes or results, and communication with others,’ Luksyte said.”

To read more about the study and the results, click here to view the article.

As a hiring manager, do you typically eliminate any candidates you view as overqualified from your potential pool of interviewees? Furthermore, have you hired anyone overqualified and found success or failure with this in any way? If so, share your experience.

As a job seeker, have you been turned away from a job because you were considered overqualified? What was your response and how did you tackle this challenge?

While some enjoy the so-called perks of working from home, many employees never get this opportunity or option. At some point we all roll out of bed in the morning and wonder wouldn’t it just be easier to be able to turn on our computer and sit at our desk at home to get our work done? If many of us mostly work using the Internet and phone, why can’t we just stay home and wouldn’t it boost morale anyway? Well, for those of us who sometimes have this passing wistful hope, consider the article titled, “Teleworkers confess biggest at-home distractions” recently posted to Employee Benefits News.

According to the article, working from home isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. While many of us assume it would be easier we forget just how easy it is to get distracted in a home office or alternate environment. It seems that when working from home, some actually have to inconvenience themselves to a degree to assure they work during the day instead of watch television, their children or surf the net. As the article reads, “I’m working from home today, and I won’t lie — it’s a tough day. I’m still exhausted from a long three days at Benefits Forum & Expo, and returned home to gray weather and scores of to-do items that had been piling up while I was gone. I’m tired and overwhelmed, and it would be easy and wonderful to chuck it all and go veg out on my couch. It would be too easy, in fact. So, instead of trying to work from the living room I’m fighting temptation by working from the island in my kitchen — lots of light, a high-backed chair and no remote control for as far as my eyes can see. So far, so good.”

So what else do people get distracted by at home while they’re supposed to be on the proverbial clock? “… According to a new CareerBuilder survey, some of my fellow teleworkers are giving in to their darker angels. The survey finds that teleworkers confessed to their top distractions when working from home:

• Household chores (31%). 
• TV (26%). 
• Pets (23%). 
• Errands (19%). 
• Internet (18%). 
• Children (15%).

In fact, some are so distracted (perhaps by all of the above), that 17% of Americans who telework at least part of the time spend one hour or less actually working.”

Aside from the obvious distractions, working from home doesn’t work for everyone by the simple fact that there is a sigh of relief when one can leave the office at the end of the day and step away from work. There’s something about bringing the workplace into the home that makes it harder to actually relax once you have completed all of your work if there’s no real separation from work and home. It can make working from home even more difficult for some than others and trying to unwind nearly impossible. The article does make a suggestion for those that do want to actually work from home sans distractions:

“‘To avoid situations where teleworkers aren’t putting in the necessary time, managers need to be clear about expectations and establish daily objectives,’ says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of HR at CareerBuilder. ‘The autonomy of working from home can be very rewarding so long as it doesn’t diminish productivity.’

Haefner recommended the following tips to help teleworkers work as efficiently as possible:

- Keep a normal routine.
- Find the best spot to work.
- Stay connected to colleagues.
- Plan breaks.
- Work at a coffee shop to maintain human contact.”

Of course for a number of employees, working from home is not only easier, but also necessary. Some have schedules that they must balance their personal lives with work and that is the only possible way for them to take on a job with other responsibilities. For example, there are people going back to school to get an advanced degree and must attend a class or two during normal work hours. There are also some that have children and would rather opt for an alternat
ive at home work schedule than spend the usual 9-5 in an office. Essentially, everyone is different when it comes to discipline when working at home.

As the article inquires, “What are your tricks for staying productive when working from home?”

According to a Wired Science article titled, “Twitter-Mining Captures Global Mood Patterns,” social scientists have discovered that individuals tend to display mood patterns throughout the day using tweets and other forms of social media, providing further evidence that moods positively and negatively cycle throughout the week, especially for anyone in the workplace.

Ever heard of the afternoon slump? When the clock rolls around two or three and you begin to feel tired and cranky? Can’t wait until Friday? Tweets reveal you’re not alone. The article explains, “An analysis of mood patterns distilled from half a billion tweets has produced a civilization-scale picture of how moods rise and fall in tandem, over time and across the world. The details seem intuitive: positive feelings peaking in the morning, dipping during work and rising at day’s end; negativity accumulated over the workweek dissipating late on Friday afternoon. But they’ve proved surprisingly tricky to measure.”

But do these results really mean that social scientists can count on something as simple as a tweet for this kind of analysis? “‘There’s a whole generation of lab work that’s been inconclusive,’ said sociologist Scott Golder of Cornell University, co-author of the tweet analysis published Sept. 29 in Science. ‘Every study would have something different to say about what they saw in their subjects’ affective rhythms.’ Many studies of how moods — or, more technically, positive and negative affect — change from minute to minute and day to day rely on self-reported surveys, which can be inconsistent if not misleading. The subjects of these studies also tend to be undergraduate students from western colleges, a group that’s not always representative of humanity at large. Twitter users, of course, don’t represent humanity either. But the culture- and globe-spanning size of the software platform’s community, and their constant generation of data that can be cross-referenced and correlated and otherwise computationally investigated, make them alluring to researchers. ‘Twitter and Facebook, market transactions on eBay and Amazon: This is the stuff of everyday life’ for much of the world, said Golder. ‘For a social scientist to have access to these records is a fantastic new opportunity.’”

So how can we understand what this means using a global approach and what does this mean to you and your employees? “Using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, a text analysis program that quantifies the emotional content of statements, Golder and co-author Michael Macy analyzed a total of 509 million tweets generated over two years by 2.4 million people in 84 countries. The resulting trends — positive moods starting high in the morning and declining through the day, peaking overall on weekends — held steady around the world.” Essentially, everything that you might feel during the day and the week- your desire to take an afternoon nap or your excitement over the prospect of spending a weekend doing anything but work- most others around you are feeling as well. If you’re a manager or supervisor, understand that if some of those feelings start to creep up on you, chances are your employees are feeling the same way. As the article reiterates, “A systematic daily pattern of positive mood is a fundamental part of human existence.”

Right around mid-week your employees are tired, grumpy and just looking forward to clocking out on Friday and going home. It’s a pattern that you’ll see every day and every week; so if you’re wondering why your employees aren’t boasting a stellar performance at 2:30 in the afternoon, think back on the science of mood patterns. If this is the case, it also might not hurt to incorporate some unique ways to boost morale in the workplace, for not just your employees, but yourself as well. And if you can’t think of anything, refer back to a blog Alstin posted over the summer on “Keeping the creative juices flowing by getting creative.”

While many companies are looking to retain their talent, sometimes a job just doesn’t fit. Whether it is because of a lack of recognition, lack of pay or the job just doesn’t feel right; there are many reasons why some people choose to “job hop.” It’s easy to label that term as something sinister. Most people are told that job hopping is considered to be a big no-no in the workforce that can leave gaps on resumes or make potential employers question your dedication to any on position or company, but the Huffington Post recently blogged an article about just the opposite. “Career Lessons From A Serial Job Hopper” explains why job hopping isn’t always a bad thing and can actually help you advance.

Elizabeth Lowman of the article admits, “Confession: I have been in the workforce for 10 years and have held nearly as many jobs. In my defense, I have never started a job with the intention of only staying a short time — my reasons for leaving range from realizing the position wasn’t a good fit to being laid off to even moving to another state for my husband’s job. But the reality is, the work experience section of my resume is lengthy and I fall firmly into the category of a ‘serial job hopper.’” Again, while this might sound outlandish to some, she has actually found success in her endeavors and offers readers a few tips on the subject. She continues, “Older generations, my father included, held the belief that staying in a job for less than a couple of years showed disloyalty or unreliability. But while I admit that job hopping isn’t an ideal scenario, I have no regrets about my career’s ‘creative path.’ I’ve learned a lot about myself, and even more about my goals. If you find yourself defending — or questioning yourself about — a short-term stay at a job, let me share a few of the lessons I’ve learned.”

Here are two out of the four lessons she proposes:

“1. No Job is Perfect, but You Don’t Have to be Miserable

It would be foolish to expect to love everything about a company or job, but I strongly believe in the right to have more good days than bad ones. Sure, in tough economic times when many consider themselves lucky to have a job at all, there’s less room to be picky, but there are always companies looking for talent.

So if you find yourself curled up in the fetal position on Sundays because you’re dreading work the next day — and this has been going on for months — it’s time to reassess your situation. It’s a good idea to start by trying to address the issue internally: ask your supervisor to adapt your position to better suit your interests, ask to pursue projects outside of your exact role, or even ask for a promotion.

But if things don’t improve, don’t be afraid of looking for a new job just because you haven’t ‘put enough time in’ at your current one yet. If you have desirable qualifications, hiring managers can be forgiving if you have a valid reason for moving on. I’m living proof.

2. You Can Learn with Every Step

There’s a lot you can learn from every ‘hop’ you make. Figure out what you like and what you don’t. And, even if moving on wasn’t fully your choice, you should look at the variety of responsibilities you’ve had as an advantage.

In my field of marketing communications, daily tasks can vary from PR to website maintenance to content development. In my job hopping, I’ve been able to dabble in a bit of everything — and I now know where my strengths lie as well as what tasks I most enjoy. I’m now better able to figure out how to find a good fit in my next job.”

To read more about what Lowman recommends, click on the link to see the whole article.

If you’re an employee or job seeker, have you found yourself job hopping, especially considering the more recent economic forecast? How has it helped or hurt you?

As a hiring manager, have you noticed employees job hopping more frequently? Does that deter you from making a hiring recommendation? How has your company combat “serial job hoppers” to retain talent?

According to an article posted to USA Today titled, “Facebook wants to be big among small businesses” Facebook will be offering businesses a chance to advertise on the popular social networking site for free says Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer. While many businesses have already taken advantage of social media, some still are catching up and what better time to start than now?

“At Google, Sandberg served as vice president of global online sales and operations in a role that helped build the company’s money-gushing search-advertising business. Now, the chief operating officer at the world’s largest social network wants the same for Facebook. She envisions those small businesses that joined Google’s ad program spending their advertising bucks at the social-networking giant.” Sandberg continues, ‘My dream is really simple,’ said Sandberg, 42, seated near a framed graffiti rendering of co-founder Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook’s headquarters here. ‘I think every small business should … be using Facebook. We’re not going to stop until all of them are using it to grow their business.’”

So how can your business benefit from Sandberg’s vision?

“The company plans to offer free $50 advertising credits for up to 200,000 small businesses. When a person clicks on an ad, there’s a set rate predetermined for that click through — 5 cents or 25 cents, for example — the advertiser has to pay. Facebook will pick up the tab for the first $50 of such ads delivered under its offer. This may seem like small stuff, but it’s the core to an ad revenue strategy that could justify a monster IPO. ‘Credits like that can go a long way,’ she says. ‘For $50, most small businesses can target every single person they need to target at least once, and then they can grow their business from there.’”

If you’re still not convinced of the value of engaging in social media- “With Facebook, businesses can target their paid advertising with a precision not found in most other forms of advertising. A wedding photographer, for instance, could advertise just to women in a specific ZIP code who list on Facebook that they are engaged. A movie chain could talk just to film fans.”

Need more details? Click the link to read more about the new plan and follow the story to see how your business can take Facebook up on this offer. With high user statistics to back campaigns, you’ll be glad you did. “Sandberg estimates that of the nation’s nearly 30 million small businesses, 9 million are using Facebook to speak to their customers, and ‘hundreds of thousands’are spending money on ad campaigns, as well.”

Does your company utilize social media, or take advantage of advertising using social media? How has this worked for you? Don’t forget- Alstin can help you start campaigns and monitor your company’s social media networking sites. 

Social media in the workplace is still, unfortunately, not entirely accepted in all companies and organizations. Some don’t see the value, others don’t want to take the time to learn or train, so how can you increase your company’s social media when you have no budget or backing? ClickZ.com, a website dedicated to marketing news, is here to help.

An article titled, “Building the Case for a Bigger Social Media Budget” recognizes these questions and explains, “What is the value of our social communities and why should we invest more in social media advertising? Those are the two most often asked questions of marketing executives worldwide. For now, the value of one’s community is nearly always just an estimate, and advertising on social networks, despite impressive growth, can be still be seen mostly as experimental. Many marketers remain iffy, at best, toward the current social media ad offerings. In a recent study conducted at the May 2011 Pivot Conference, just 69 percent of respondents believed Facebook’s ad offerings are ‘excellent’ or ‘good.’ Facebook was followed by YouTube at 46 percent, Twitter at 36 percent, LinkedIn at 24 percent, and Foursquare at 22 percent. Much of this is due to the fact, that many marketers are still unable to connect dots and tie activity back to individual customers to prove ROI.”

While that might be the case, it’s important to help your company understand that social media is not only valuable, but in some cases, necessary. Let’s put it this way, a few years ago if you looked a company up on the Internet for more information and found that they had no website, what was your first thought? If you can’t even find the company, how can you use their services or buy their products? More importantly, how can you view that company as innovative, fresh, keeping up with the times and staying on top of their industry better than their competitors? Whether you’ve adopted social media for personal use or not, individuals seeking companies via social networks experience these same thoughts, negative feelings and sentiments towards companies who stubbornly don’t seem to want to embrace this technology. Not only is it important to customers and your image, but it also offers a new venue to possibly generate revenue from- whether that is through advertising or just having a presence so your customers can find you and get to know your company a bit better.

Now that you know you might be in for an uphill battle, the article offers a few suggestions on how to make your case with others:

 “1. Track results and report incremental lift. Work with your marketing counterparts to coordinate how social media can support their existing promotions and marketing activities. Coordinate posts and tweets and track everything. Use unique URL shorteners to track program link clicks and encourage the marketing department to include tags for social efforts in order to understand the overall contribution to the program. A large CPG company I work with was able to show coordinated Facebook and Twitter posts accounted for almost a quarter of rebate requests. In addition, Facebook was second to only email in redemptions. Social community efforts are now a staple of the communication and roll-out plan for all major marketing programs.

2. Build analogies and bridges. Let’s face it, social media is still scary to many traditional marketers. Many still don’t understand it or, more likely, are threatened by it – fearful that this new medium they know little about might just put their job at risk. This requires marketers tasked with social media responsibilities to over communicate and partner with traditional marketers to demonstrate it’s not either/or, but both. Draw parallels to the traditional world whenever possible and emphasize that in any emerging medium there are no experts, just students.

In a recent client quarterly review with the marketing department, I watched the head of digital marketing compare the number of Facebook post impressions to the impressions and costs of the brand’s :30 Sunday Night Football TV ad. He then reviewed the clicks, ‘likes,’ and comments generated from all Facebook posts and simply said, ‘Now let’s grow both and be sure to tag our TV ad so we can continue the conversation with football fans on Facebook.’ The digital head went on to present the cost of acquiring new football fans across all digital channels. The question he left the room with was not should we invest in our Facebook community, but how do we work together to efficiently acquire and then communicate with football fans throughout the customer life-cycle? Not surprisingly the investment in building the Facebook community is expected to grow dramatically this year. For me, this was a powerful example of how packaging and presenting your success by building analogies with what is familiar can be a powerful motivator for change.”

If that isn’t enough, click the article title to read the final tip and conclusion the author offers. In the meantime, simple tips such as writing down all of your talking points before presenting your suggestions always helps, along with preliminarily building up answers for questions anyone might have. Don’t forget to explain that social media is not always a big cost, but is always effective when use correctly. Good luck!

Has your company embraced social media? Do you find that some just don’t understand it, aren’t interested or don’t see the value? What have you done to overcome this challenge in your company, and what advice can you offer others facing the same issue?

Stressed at your job? Taking on too much than you can handle? Tired of the office politics that seem inescapable and detrimental? An article recently posted to the Atlanta Business News titled, “Managing the strain of your job” offers a few solutions on how to combat these feelings and what to do. While hiring is picking up in some industries, the article starts off by recognizing, “Everyone knows how stressful it is to be out of work these days, so it’s easy to forget: Having a job isn’t a walk in the park either. For many workers, the ‘do more with less’ and lean workplace trends have trickled down to roost. If that strikes you as too many economic and business clichés in one sentence, consider it representative of today’s mangled management philosophies. Here’s the simpler version: Companies are making more money off the backs of fewer, more stressed workers. This is good news for shareholders and therapists, and terrible news for the workers.”

Feeling a little helpless and lost? “One of the most common phrases I hear from my working clients these days is, ‘I know I should be grateful to have a job, but … .’ What follows is typically a tale of no wage increases, or even wage givebacks over several years, and of working in departments that have lost head count and budget while still managing to increase productivity. It doesn’t matter if the employee wears a white collar or blue, or works in a for-profit, nonprofit or government office. This scenario transcends all the traditional workplace barriers.” The article also points out that as fears of the recession start to settle down, some employees “are already leaving for greener pastures,” meaning that you’re certainly not alone.

And what exactly can you do about it? Take any weekend or free time off to consider your options. Here are three out of five of the suggestions the author gives on what to think about:

 “1. Count the hours you’re working and decide: Is this the right number? Some workers are vastly under-scheduled right now, while others are inadvertently working dozens of overtime hours each month, often by virtue of email business conducted from home after the workday ends. Whether you need more hours or fewer to better balance your work life, the solution starts with knowing the facts.

Once you’ve calculated the actual hours you work, divide this number into your gross weekly pay to get your hourly rate. For many of my clients, this number is substantially lower than anticipated, which helps confirm a decision to improve a work situation.

2. Review your workday to find its stress points. Does a particular meeting set your teeth on edge, or a routine task, or perhaps a co-worker whose personality clashes with yours? Ask yourself: If you could change just one thing at work, what would it be? While this exercise sometimes collapses from the weight of too many stressors — a good indication that it’s time to change jobs, by the way — it often casts a spotlight on a correctable situation.

3. Stop a minute to dream. Imagine yourself in a better work situation in five years, or even just one or two years from now: What does that look like? Where do you work, and what are you doing? What level have you achieved? Do you have a different career altogether? What makes you happy in this scenario and why?

Now write down your answers and look for ideas. If you were to make this dream happen, what would you have to do right now?”

To see more on what the author recommends, click the link to read the whole article.

As an employee, have you recently started thinking about moving on from your current position, or does the looming economic volatility scare you into staying where you are regardless of the situation?

As a hiring manager, has there recently been a greater demand to hire? Is it because your company now has a need to replace workers that have left or are you just starting to get busier? How does your company plan on combating the proverbial “revolving door” as some employees may decide to move on?

SmartBlog recently posted 6 tips to integrating current events with your social media to stay current and knowledgeable for your readers; and what better time than right after an East coast hurricane to adopt some of these valuable suggestions? Even if everyone knows the hurricane happened (unless you’ve been living under a rock and in that case, maybe you beat us all to the punch by already being prepared) it’s still not a bad idea to incorporate it into your company blog or post. Take advantage of it.

The post starts by explaining, “The bill passed. The storm hit. The war is over — and you weren’t paying attention. Current events are the lifeblood of many conversations on social networks. But if you find out about a major event a day or more after it happened, it can be tempting to just let the issue slide. No one wants to be seen as out-of-touch, right? But even if you can’t break news or be the first person to react, you can still weigh in on the subject in a way that is thoughtful and relevant to your readers. It just takes a little bit of extra work to make up for lost time.” The article does continue by stressing that it is important to stay on top of news in your industry and around the world all of the time, but if you miss the proverbial boat at first, it’s not too late to jump on board. He writes, “The trick is to get involved in the conversation in such as way that it doesn’t a) look like you were caught napping or b) look like you’re being opportunistic. The key here is finding organic, relevant connections to your industry and your readers.”

Still think this information isn’t valid after the event has already taken place? We beg to differ. Just take a look at what’s trending on twitter right now. For that matter, take a look at last year in review. In news events, the Oil Gulf Spill was number one, shortly followed by the Haiti Earthquake and the Pakistan Floods. Did everyone already know about these events nearly as soon as they happened, thanks for media? Yes. But they were still trending for weeks, if not months later. In other words, if you want your company to stay on top, follow the trends and adopt a few.

Here are a few tips the blog offers and how they can be useful to you:

“Remind people why it matters.

Everyone has a friend or a relative who likes to loudly opine that they “just don’t get” why people care about politics — until an issue that affects them is on the table. Everyone knows someone who will proclaim that they “can’t see the appeal” of the latest gadget — until they’ve got it in their hands. Chances are, your audience isn’t so different. Some of them may need you to help them totally understand why an event is important — to their families, their jobs, their community. You have to be careful not to adopt a patronizing tone here. You’re not lecturing anybody, just pointing out a connection your readers may have missed. The goal isn’t to sound knowledgeable — it’s to leave your readers feeling like they’re more knowledgeable.

 

Offer a second opinion.

Sometimes the prevailing wisdom on a news event is just wrong. And you know it — so why not share that unique perspective? The shelf life for unorthodox takes on current events is longer than straight reporting on the topic, as people start to move from amazement to critical thinking. If you time it right, you can catch your fans at their most skeptical and give them a well-reasoned, insightful look at another side of an issue. Again, you don’t want to lecture, so much as give your readers a clever response to conventional wisdom the next time they’re at a cocktail party.

 

Give readers a gentle nudge.

Sometimes a news event can be a powerful reminder of why your business or organization exists. Don’t be afraid to capitalize on those moments and encourage readers to get involved with your organization or take another look at the products and services you offer. People are emotional creatures and they’re more likely to be receptive your arguments when you’re piggybacking on their happiness, interest or worry. The trick to doing this well is to position it as helping people, instead of selling them something. You’re not making a sales pitch; you’re sharing your values.”

And lastly, remember that, “Current events are a double-edged sword. It can make your brand more relevant, but it can also open you up to controversy and criticism. If you decide to weigh-in on current events, do so knowing full well that at least one person will not like what you say. Then say it anyway. The truth is that opinions are something that only people have. Sharing a viewpoint makes your brand more human and it gives your brand a reputation and a character. Whether you’re looking to be an information source for your fans, a thought leader on a particular issue or just facilitator of interesting conversation, your fans will thank you for getting involved — even if you were a little late.” Don’t forget, don’t be afraid to share you opinion and open up to controversy. In one of our older blogs, we explain why bad publicity can be good publicity using social media. So what are you waiting for? Start trending now.

Have you used current events to propel your company’s social media? Have you found this method to be helpful or successful, or do you feel like it doesn’t have any effect? Does your company stay on top of what’s trending?

SHRM.org recently posted an article titled, “Benefits, Advancement Key to Worker Happiness, Report Says” revealing results from a study on employee satisfaction. While this might come as a surprise to some, employees seek a variety of benefits, not just monetary, to stay enthused about their positions and continue to work effectively. Unfortunately, while this information isn’t new, it seems that many companies still focus on what they believe is “the bottom line” or salary, taking little else into consideration. Still thinking that’s all employees care about? The article reports, “An analysis of employee reviews for more than 250,000 large U.S. organizations reveals that a comprehensive benefit mix, opportunities for career advancement and work/life accommodation are top factors in workers’ happiness, outpacing even salary. The 2011 analysis was conducted by CareerBliss, a career development website and online community.”

But what factors was the study comprised of? “The analysis evaluated key factors that impact worker happiness, including benefits and incentives, growth opportunities, work/life balance, compensation, employees’ relationships with their boss and co-workers, work environment, job resources, company culture, company reputation, daily tasks and control over work done on a daily basis. The data accounted for how employees valued each factor and how important that factor was to the employee’s overall happiness. At least 50 employee reviews per employer were required.”

And what did the study expose? Which company scored high marks in the employee satisfaction department? Drum roll, please.

“Cable TV provider Comcast, which scored among the top companies for employee happiness, offers its workers a competitive benefit package that includes above-average health insurance coverage, a dollar-for-dollar 401(k) match, free financial planning services, life and disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, commuter benefits, legal benefits, adoption benefits, long-term care insurance and pet insurance. In addition, it offers free cable TV and Internet and discounted phone service for employees living in a Comcast service area. ‘We take great pride in caring for our employees, our customers and our communities,’ said William Strahan, Comcast senior vice president of HR, in a statement released by CareerBliss. ‘We believe it’s essential to invest in proper training, communication, competitive pay and benefits, and professional growth opportunities to create a supportive and motivating work environment where diverse employees thrive.’”

The article describes Comcast’s effort as a “Rich Benefits Mix” and they aren’t kidding. While Comcast offers some incredible benefits to employees, what if your company isn’t able to match that? What if your company can’t possibly be on par? Take a deep breath. That’s okay too. Instead, try to weigh some of your options to determine how you can make the most out of what you can offer your employees. There are benefits that don’t necessarily have to directly cost the company, but are looked highly upon by employees. The article offers a few options and this is a big one.

“Work/life balance has been a significant influence on employee satisfaction levels year over year, according to the analysis. ‘Our data continue to show that even more important than salary is a company’s commitment to providing a balanced work environment that allows employees to enjoy ample time with their families and friends outside of work,’ said Matt Miller, chief technology officer and co-founder of CareerBliss.” That doesn’t have to mean that employees are constantly working from home or taking month long vacations. It could mean becoming more lax about what freedoms employees can or cannot indulge in. For example, is an employee scolded like a 5-year-old if they need to take a personal call or e-mail? Perhaps recognizing that a work/life balance is so highly valued by employees can make it easier to determine what employees should and shouldn’t be allowed to do on the clock as well.

The Los Angeles Times recently posted an article to their Business section titled, “Best study ever: Wasting time online boosts worker productivity.” This article reveals, “Spending time online updating your Facebook page, clicking through I Can Has Cheezburger and ogling Robert Pattinson may rot your brain, but new research suggest that it could also make you more productive at work. ‘Browsing the Internet serves an important restorative function,’ according to a report from the National University of Singapore. So-called cyberloafing can refresh workers mentally after long periods of work, researchers said at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management in San Antonio this week. Surfing the Web is even better for productivity than talking or texting with friends or sending personal emails, the study found. And smart bosses would stop snooping, researchers said: Excessive Internet monitoring and surveillance only makes employees do it more, they said.” Sometimes just giving your employees the freedom to have a personal life boosts morale and productivity.

So why spend so much effort to make employees happy? There is the most obvious response- No one wants to be miserable at his or her job. If employees are that unenthused, most likely they’re not willing to go the extra mile for their company in terms of creatively, productivity or loyalty. But more importantly, as cliché as it might sound, a happy employee makes happy customers. Don’t believe us? Think of personal experience. There are literally millions of examples. Have you ever needed customer service or help and engaged in a phone call with a snappy, lackluster employee that seemed desperate to get off the line? Or gone to a restaurant only to encounter a waitress or waiter who ignored you and other patrons repeatedly? It translates to the customer as poor quality all the way around. Why stick with a company providing less than satisfactory anything? Why purchase their product or use that company’s service? Again, unhappy employees easily equate to unhappy customers. To read more about what other companies offer employees, click on the article and check out what options your company could adopt.

Consultant and professional Chris Brogan recently took time to write a blog about “Social Media Fatigue” and how some companies, for lack of better wording, just aren’t doing it right.

Brogan explains, “One of the biggest push backs I hear from people when I talk about how wonderful I think Google+ will be for business professionals is that they’re tired. They’re tired of joining a new social network. They’re tired of going through the dance of re-adding their friends and connections on yet another platform. They’re tired of having to think up even more content for yet another platform, after having finally committed to Facebook or Twitter or wherever else. For a lot of people, the fatigue comes from that sense that they’re doing all the work, but not seeing the results. For another group, it’s that feeling that we’ve all done this before, so why do it again? For others, it’s just that we’re getting to the point where we feel maybe that we’ve shared all we can think of sharing, and we’re tired of rehashing the same old things over and over again.”

Sound familiar? Even Brogan inquires, are you tired of social media? Sick of the seemingly constant updates, regurgitating what appears to be common information and never seeing any real results? Don’t worry; Brogan’s got an answer for you.

“Writing about social media can be boring. Writing about how to empower people, however, is pretty much always interesting. Telling people the same old thing on Google+ that you’d have shared on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn is about as boring as it sounds. Maybe try doing something new with the platform. On an absolutely random post about eating the Swedish meatballs at IKEA, I got a comment back from writer and all around interesting thinker, Jeff Jarvis, about how he not only likes the Swedish meatballs, but he admits to liking Taco Bell. For whatever reason, I came away from the experience thinking, ‘Huh, I wouldn’t normally get into these conversations, inane as they are, on the other social networks. I wonder why I’ve given myself permission to do so here.’ Wake up. We can all find new ways to talk about social media by NOT TALKING ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA. (Queue the Fight Club comments.) The thing is this: we’re using these tools to enable new connections. We’re using them to make different kinds of business happen. We’re using these tools to help causes that matter, and so much more.”

More importantly, Brogan then asks, “Look at your last 20 posts on any social network, and/or your blog. What are you talking about? Do you find yourself interesting?” If the answer is no, you might want to consider switching up your content. Okay, so maybe you’re not interested in writing about Swedish meatballs, but he asks, “What else could you talk about instead? What would really change the nature of the conversation? How could you move from ‘talking about what everyone else is talking about’ into talking about what’s next, what’s new, what’s personal, what’s helpful?” Still having trouble? Take a look at some of the suggestions he offers:

• If you’re a real estate professional, why not bring the neighborhoods you’re selling to life in stories and videos.
• If you’re a freelance photographer, share the stories behind the photos.
• If you’re a corporate blogger, tell us the passionate stories behind the big official posts.
• If you’re writing just for your own passion, show us what you’re passionate about.
• If you’re someone selling something, tell us the stories around that product or service.

To read more about his suggestions for fighting off social media jet lag, take a peek at his blog, and even more telling, take a look at some of the comments left there.

Are you tired of social media too? What changes have you made to try to stave off the exhaustion? How do you measure your social media success? What results have you seen and what results are you looking for?

Great companies often thrive on keeping a certain momentum. Perhaps that means, maintaining a number of sales each year to meet a quota, or keeping up with new technologies and adapting to show your company is at the forefront of your industry. But however you measure your company’s success, there is one thing that can help keep your company growing strong through good times and bad that is frequently overlooked. Turning to your employees for solutions and creative ideas that can boost your company.

An article posted to Inc.com titled, “How to Reward Great Ideas” reveals some unique suggestions on how to keep employees engaged and how to build a workplace environment where creative juices flow uncorked by offering them creative rewards. The article begins by stressing, “Your employees may never say no to a bonus, but that doesn’t mean it’s the ideal way to credit their work. Examples from Foursquare and other innovative companies show how to make your rewards as creative as the ideas they’re rewarding.” What does that mean to you? How can you reward your employees “creatively?” Read on.

“Projet Créatif, video game developer Frima Studio’s program for pitching product ideas, requires its employees to work for the company for a year before presenting an independent project. That was too long for David Moss to wait. Less than a year after joining Frima, Moss compiled a creative team to start designing Ravenmark, a mythological adventure for young boys set in fourteenth century Scotland.

Originally designing Ravenmark as a digital short, Moss and his team were inspired by the innovative nature of Projet Créatif to do more. ‘We thought, this is a creative project,’ Moss says. ‘We’re supposed to be able to pitch about anything we want so let’s make a TV show.’

So in March 2010, the Ravenmark team presented its idea to a jury of their peers. ‘Everyone was kind of confused that we were pitching a television show,’ Moss recalls. ‘But by the end of the presentation, everyone’s eyes lit up and they could see the potential.’

The jury decided Ravenmark was a smart idea; Frima’s upper management agreed. Moss and his team were given time and funds to develop Ravenmark. With Ravenmark ready to hit the market, Moss maintains ownership of his idea and will get part of its revenue throughout his career.

For plenty of creatives, Moss’s opportunity is a dream come true. Frima, like many online creative companies, understands how to foster and reward its employees’ ideas. But rewarding great ideas is vital to the success and productivity of any company. According to a study by employee motivation agency Maritz, 55 percent of employees strongly agree that the quality of their company’s recognition programs affects their performance, but only 10 percent of those polled are satisfied with these efforts.”

While employees should not be pressured to constantly come up with a new idea every day to solve a company problem (that kind of oppression typically results with the opposite effect), it’s important to hear employees out when they might have an idea, even if it seems a bit outlandish at first, and don’t forget to give credit where it’s due. The article continues to explain how to “foster” these ideas.

“Long before your company can reward the great ideas, you must first foster the creation of those ideas. According to Maritz, driving performance requires companies to focus on their No. 1 asset: their employees. ‘What drives innovation?’ Mark Barbee, COO at Maritz Loyalty and Motivation asks. ‘It’s not coming from technology or processes. It’s coming from people.’

Programs such as Frima’s Projet Créatif are an effective way to foster such innovation. Since it started last year, 10 ideas have been pitched, and six of them are in production. Ravenmark is the first to reach a marketable stage. At its core is the idea that employees judge each others’ ideas without the initial influence of senior leadership. ‘Ideas don’t just come from upper management,’ says Steve Couture, Frima’s CEO. ‘You need a channel to listen to all ideas.’”

Now that you know how to get those creative juices flowing, how exactly can you award employees?

“When great ideas emerge, bonuses are the most common solution for companies with a large enough cash flow. Although an extra check is rarely unwelcome, many more creative options exist to reward employees in a meaningful way.

While Projet Créatif stands to showcase major innovations, Frima also recognizes smaller ideas with a rewards system call Frima Points. When an employee comes forward with a fresh idea, they earn points which can later be traded for tangible gifts. Frima’s gifts, such as payment for babysitters, home repair services, and the like, emphasize work-family balance—a core value for Frima—while also fostering productivity.

‘We’ve found that if people spend more time at home with their families than doing household chores on the weekends, they come back to work on Monday ready to do better work,’ Couture says.

At RockYou, a social game developing and advertising company, great ideas are recognized monthly with their You Rock Awards. Driven by peer nominations, RockYou awards employees for solving a problem, designing a game or otherwise showing innovation. You Rock nominees spin a wheel to choose an award such as concert tickets, an extra day off, or an iPad. All You Rock recipients also receive a golden bobble-head cow trophy.

‘I don’t actually know the relevance of the cow,’ RockYou’s CFO Steve van Horne admits. ‘But it’s a source of pride for employees to have on their desk.’”

So maybe some of this seems a little strange (you know you want a cow trophy), but remember that employees aren’t mindless robots, completely void of pride or personality. The article continues to explain more aspects of creative rewards and is definitely worth a read through. For additional inspiration, check out the rest of the article.

How do you keep creative juices flowing in your workplace? How do you reward employees in the workplace? After reading this article, would you reconsider the way you reward your employees?

Are you feeling irritated at work lately? Easily annoyed, perhaps? Maybe a little bit too anxious, or even like you’re drowning with a never-ending stream of tasks? While this might sound like the beginning of a therapy session, many people in the workplace have found themselves feeling similar emotions for years. If you’ve been feeling a bit down at work, don’t worry you’re the only one. There are thousands of overly stressed employees still trying to cope with some of the issues they face daily, as soon as they sit at their desks in the morning all the way up until they shut down their computers and clock out at night. The solution? Come to the Alstin couch and we’ll talk.

A blog post from Alexandria Levit titled, “Why So Much Frustration at Work?” reveals some common emotions that employees face and might shed some light on how to help ease your pain. She starts off by explaining that the feeling of control is essential to staying on top of work both mentally and emotionally, and more importantly, it’s essential to your mental health in general, going beyond the workplace.

“A key ingredient is the lack of control that a person perceives for the outcome of their work. In psychology, this is called locus of control, a concept that was originally developed by Julian Rotter in the mid-twentieth century. One has an internal locus of control if he believes that he controls his own destiny, and he has an external locus of control if he believes that his destiny is controlled by other forces like authority figures, fate, or God. Over the last half century, psychological research has determined that males tend to be more internal than females, older people are more internal than younger people, and people at higher levels in the organization are more internal than junior-level staffers. In general, having an internal locus of control is viewed as more desirable, since these individuals tend to be more achievement oriented. They are more persistent and work longer and harder to get what they need or want. It’s better from a mental health perspective too, because when you feel that you can affect the outcome of your work, you are more satisfied and have a greater sense of accomplishment.”

Now that that’s established, what can you do to feel in control at work when you’re sensing that out of control spiral that makes you want to pull your hair out? Breathe deeply and relax. Levit’s got a few tips for that too.

“Acknowledge your own choices

Just being alive means that you make thousands of small choices every day, and those small choices add up to make a major impact on your life. As for the bigger choices, usually you do have the power to take control of the ones that are really important.

Set achievable goals every day

Being able to check even minor things off a list each afternoon will improve your self-esteem and increase your internal locus of control.

Practice making decisions

Work on the skill of listing and evaluating the pros and cons of each option and coming to a conclusion on your own rather than relying on the opinions of others.”

To read all of Levit’s tips, see her blog post, and just as she asks- “Have you successfully overcome frustration at work? What strategies can you share?” Don’t forget to check out her other posts that can be just as helpful and relevant. Have you recently hired someone that could be experiencing the problems mentioned in her frustration post? Last week’s- “Make Sure Your New Person Doesn’t Quit.”

Job-hopping seems to be more prevalent than ever as many job seekers took whatever they could find during the recession and might now be re-evaluating those decisions with things starting to look up for some industries. Now that you have your employees, how do you keep them? If you are looking to start hiring again, how do you make your company more attractive than others to the job seeker? Guy Kawasaki, well known for his association with Apple, wrote a blog post for the Harvard Business Review titled, “Enchant Your Employees” on just that. Here are a few tips he offers to help solve this problem:

“Empower them to do what’s right. A logical offshoot of autonomous work is that you trust your employee enough to make the right decision for customers. When you show this level of trust and empower employees, they do the best work that they can.

Judge your results and their intentions. Most managers are harsher judges of the results of their employees than they are of their own results: ‘You didn’t meet quota, but I really tried to meet mine.’ This is the opposite of what an enchanting manager does. Be a tougher judge of your results than your employees.

Address your shortcomings first. Now that you know what to judge, now you need to know what to fix. No employee is perfect, but neither are you. Before you pontificate about what your employees should fix, talk about how you could have done a better job yourself.

Don’t ask them to do what you wouldn’t do. The flip side of the willingness to suck it up is that you never ask employees to do something that you wouldn’t do. If you’re not going to fly coach class from San Francisco to Mumbai, don’t ask them to either. This is a great philosophy to apply to employees, customers, partners, and vendors.

Celebrate success. On the other hand, when your organization succeeds, take some time out to celebrate. Macho and relentless toil in the face of success (or failure) is over-rated. And the best kind of success, and the best way to celebrate success, is as a group.

Don’t rely on money. I’m not saying you shouldn’t pay people fairly — even well — but money is usually the enemy of enchantment. It can pollute relationships because it muddies the motivation: Are people doing this because it’s their job or because they truly believe in the product or service?”

To see all of the tips, follow the link above directly to his blog post. What’s even more interesting is some of the comments and reactions from other readers. Take a peek and let us know what you think. Is this a problem your company could potentially face in the near future? If so, what steps are you taking to prevent it?

While some businesses are starting to get busy and struggling to keep up with old clients providing new work, it’s important to remember that not every customer is a good fit for your company. Keep in mind that during the recession many companies were forced to downsize to stay afloat, but if you’re experiencing a sudden flood of projects it might be time to trim the fat in a different kind of way.

It is tempting for all businesses (old or new) to take on as many clients or customers as possible, especially right after a slow economic period where some saw so little willing to spend money, but if things are starting to pick up again and your company has not taken hiring into consideration take the time to review the customers you already have that might be more trouble than they are worth. Sometimes it’s not possible to dedicate all of your company’s efforts to one single customer’s every impulse.

In an online post titled, “Not Everyone is the Right Customer” the author gives an example of how they are opting out from using a particular project management software. The post reads, “Everyone wants something different. So you do what you can to thread the needle and make as many of the right customers as happy as possible. Not everyone is the right customer… it’s OK to lose a customer if we just aren’t the right fit anymore. People move on from all sorts of things. Clothes, houses, cars, jobs, relationships… Why not software? As circumstances change, one product may not fit someone forever. That’s OK as long as it fits plenty of other people at the same time.”

He continues on to explain, “Some customers stick with you forever. Others come and go. Many who go come back after trying other tools that promise them more but that no one actually used. In the end, the tool that actually gets used is the one that’s the right fit for someone. It’s really really hard to get people to actually use things.

We’ve found that the simplest stuff is what actually gets used. It’s why email is still the world’s most popular project management tool. The temptation to accept any and all business, especially when a company is young, can be blinding. Many young companies have failed because they tried too hard to cater to the whims of a few customers.”

Feel free to read the entire article to get a better understanding of the choice they made and why they made it. As the article also questions, do you agree? Do you believe that not every customer is right for your company? Is it time to downsize in a different way, or at least attempt a different solution? Is your company starting to hire again for more demanding clients, or for returning clients with new projects?

Let’s face it: a hiring manager’s job is tough. It’s not easy to find someone out there in a pool of thousands of applicants who “fits.” And we don’t just mean fits the job description or has a skill set that fits the position. It’s also important to find someone who fits in terms of the actual office environment and someone that might actually have more talent than the person who is hiring. In essence, a hiring manager has to find someone that is better than him or her; someone who can do things they can’t and, at times, that can be a bit hard to swallow. How do you find someone who is better than you after admitting that that’s what you’re looking for?

Jason Seiden’s new blog post, “How to Surround Yourself with People Better than Yourself” might be able to help. Seiden’s article offers a few how-to tips on making the right (and tough) decision. Here are a few suggestions:

• Let go of judgment. The first step in recognizing talent is recognizing talent! You can only do this if you are able to put aside your own issues and prejudices and see others for who they are. ie, if you’re starving, any chef is a 4 star chef. You’ve got to be able to compensate for your own “schtick” when assessing others.
• Let go of jealousy. If you’re jealous of what they’ve got, you’ll feel it, they’ll feel it, and badness will be inevitable.
• Let go of labels. Strong people don’t need anyone to define a relationship with labels because they’re able to figure it out on their own. Trying to label a relationship can scare a strong person off. (Not comfortable with ambiguity? Keep that to yourself.)
• Let go of doubt. Great people want people around them who are even better then themselves. If you don’t believe you belong, you don’t belong.
• Let go of control. Great people will do things you don’t understand and can’t explain. Insisting on living in a world you fully understand will keep you from experiencing people who can open you up to new and bigger ideas. Great people approach their worlds with innocence, wonder, and curiosity.
• Let go of you. Help the people around you shine brighter. The strong ones’ll keep you around and start feeding your gift back to you. (The weak ones will show their true colors by trying to take advantage or assuming mal-intent on your part—easy to deal with once you’re prepared for it.)
• Let go of self-esteem. The thing about surrounding yourself with awesome is, you are always being challenged. It’s with love and support, but they’re challenges nonetheless, and you must win, without help, without cheating, without rationalizing. And when you don’t win, you must bounce back quickly and confidently because you don’t want to fail twice in a row.
• Let go of safe. Surrounding yourself with extraordinary people guarantees one thing: change. Scary, risky, life-altering change. No-more-comfort-zone change. For instance, if I were the worlds’ best matchmaker and we were hanging out, I could find you your true love. When I did, would you be ready? Great people requires us to abandon the safe harbor of our routines.

Seiden concludes with, “Did you get it yet? Greatness happens when you let go. It’s the ultimate ‘stone soup;’ you bring only your true self and all the other ingredients you think you need actually are provided by others when the time comes. It takes an incredible amount of self-confidence and faith to play this game—but I never did say it was easy. That’s my recipe. I hope you can make it work for you!” To read all of Seiden’s tips, see his blog for even more helpful information.

Have you experienced a tough time finding the talent that you need? Have you ever been afraid to hire anyone because his or her methods weren’t exactly in your “comfort zone?”

Have you ever experienced the opposite- gone out on a limb to hire someone even though you weren’t sure and had wonderful or terrible results? Share with us.

Whether you’re an experienced vet in the workplace or a recent grad looking to make a name for yourself, there is one issue that employees likely experience at least once in their regardless of their career level. You’ve been working with your company for any where from a year to ten and you’re starting to question whether or not it’s time to move on. What might trigger this? There are a number of problems you might have with your current job. You’re not a fan of the office environment. You feel that your company takes you for granted or that you’re not compensated fairly. You feel as though you’ve hit the glass ceiling- there’s nothing more this company can offer you and there’s no way you can excel anymore. You’re bored because you no longer find your position challenging enough. No matter the reason, how can you tell for sure whether or not it’s time to make a change?

An article posted to The Wall Street Journal titled, “Should I Quit My Job?” can help answer that question. In this particular case, the employee does feel as though they have no room to progress and are unsatisfied with the idea of hitting that slump. The answer is both enlightening and valuable.

“Q: I’m not very happy in my current job, and it doesn’t seem like there is much opportunity for movement or advancement at the company where I work. What should consider when evaluating if this is the right time to make a move?

A: Don’t start packing up your desk just yet – at least not before you’ve fully evaluated your current situation.

You’ll want to determine if the problem is really with the job and the company or whether there’s something else at play such as your energy level or dissatisfaction with other areas of your life.

Judah Kurtz, a Chicago-based career coach and management consultant explains: ‘Changing companies or roles may not be enough to make you happy. Do the deep work to explore [your situation],’ he says. You’ll want to have clarity before you pull the plug.

There are a number of important questions you’ll want to ask yourself, advises Mr. Kurtz. For example: Have you explored all of your options at the company? Have you taken the time to fully evaluate your development and career track with your manager? Could there be other non-work areas affecting your level of engagement and fulfillment? What do you like and not like about your current situation? What do you want in your career moving forward?

Even if you already know the answers to these questions and still feel like you’re ready for a move, there’s no need to rush, says Mr. Kurtz. ‘Reach out to your network to explore what opportunities exist and consider making a strategic move,’ he says. ‘If you want to explore another kind of work, it may be wise to stay put for a time while you evaluate [your] next steps.’”

In other words, even if you’re looking to move on, don’t jump ship without a paddle. You should take your time to look for a new opportunity without sacrificing your current job. Don’t forget, gaps in your resume aren’t usually looked well upon and in this still recovering job market, there is no telling how long it will take to find something. Who knows? In the meantime, you might start to realize that what you have isn’t all that bad compared to the other options you find.

The article continues, “Also important is evaluating what you can offer a new company. To do this, you’ll want to take a hard look at your brand, professional reputation and any other qualities and skills you bring to the job.

Forget for a moment that you are a company employee and instead picture yourself as a ‘business-of-one,’ says J.T. O’Donnell, CEO of CareerHMO.com. ‘Businesses who decide to ‘fire’ a client that gives them the majority of their income must make sure they have a strong brand or reputation they can market, know their ideal target audience and the best way to reach them, and be certain there is enough of a demand for their services,’ she says.

Next, you’ll want to get clear on what it is you want and make sure that your career materials reflect that, says Ms. O’Donnell.

Finally, identify at least 25 companies where you would want to work and ensure that they have people with your types of skills on staff. ‘From there, I would try to network with individuals who were recently hired at these companies to see if they can shed some light on what is valued by the organization and the best way to get considered for a position,’ says Ms. O’Donnell. ‘This kind of networking can often lead to learning about ‘unpublished’ jobs and a recommendation on behalf of the person you connect with.’

If you are starting to feel as though you are stuck in a rut at your current position, don’t forget to ask yourself these questions and take it slow. Got any more advise? When or how did you know that it was time for you to move on? What steps did you take?

You hand them out at interviews, lunches, meetings, trade shows and networking events, but considering the technology available today are business cards becoming a way of the past? In a New York Times article titled, “Business Cards Go Paperless, or Almost,” the author takes a closer look at how we use or don’t use business cards.

“Most people know the scenario: It’s been days, maybe weeks, since the big convention, and you are finally sifting through the hodgepodge of business cards you’ve stuffed in a bag, jacket or desk drawer. A few cards conjure faces. As for the rest, who are all these people?

Since the advent of the digital address book, the pitfalls of the traditional business card have cluttered the path from handshake to hard drive. Several Web sites and smartphone applications try to solve that problem by replacing the card; in some circles, it is already becoming a relic.”

With options such as LinkedIn, Facebook and other profile-based social networking sites, business cards seem more and more like a waste of company resources, money, time and, of course, paper. The article continues to explain:

“Gina Trapani, founder of the influential blog Lifehacker, said the business card is already close to extinct in places like tech conventions. ‘I see people exchange Twitter handles, I see people scan each other’s badges,’ and send one another quick e-mails from their phones, she said. ‘But I definitely don’t see people handing out cards anymore.’An app for the business networking site LinkedIn.com makes it easier to share contacts in person using Bluetooth. Newer sites like Hashable.com, Contxts.com and About.me allow users to create and share virtual business cards.”

So is this the end for business cards? Has the old age method of getting your contact information across really drawn it’s last breath? Not so fast, tradition diehards.

“Not everyone has given up tradition. FedEx Office, the office services chain, still sees a ‘steady growth’ in business card sales, a spokeswoman said. One explanation could be the status attached to the company card. ‘I think, culturally, you’re real and you have a real job if you have a business card,’ Ms. Trapani said. ‘There’s something about that card that means you’re kind of official.’

While the article does confirm that business cards are, in many companies and organizations, being phased out to make way for greener (literally) pastures, the business card won’t disappear quite as quickly as the typewriter in modern offices if it can evolve and adapt with changing technology.

“Image notwithstanding, the business card has a logistical advantage: universal ease of exchange. Swapping information mid-conversation or in a noisy crowd can be more cumbersome than pressing paper to palm. And not everyone owns a smartphone, or has the same applications for sharing. The paper business card is evolving to bridge those gaps. The modern card may contain only a name with a Twitter handle; so-called smart cards are emblazoned with quick response (or QR) codes that can be scanned with a smartphone using applications like CardMunch. The Hashable site integrates social networking functions similar to some of those on Facebook and Twitter along with digital calendars and more versatile features for easier face-to-face sharing. Users can scan QR codes into the Hashable network or, with some phones, exchange contacts by holding phones together (much like the traditional handoff). It may prove the closest thing to a business-card killer yet. Erick Schonfeld, an editor of TechCrunch, a popular blog, said the ideas behind Hashable seem to be resonating with its users, and that he had stopped using business cards. ‘I have a drawer full of business cards, and I can never find the one I need when I need it,’ he said. ‘They’re useless.’”

Do you still use business cards at your company or organization? Do you believe they are a waste, or are they helpful? Have you considered switching our traditional cards for something more tech savvy utilizing QR codes or Twitter tags?

When was the last time you actually thought about interview questions and about how they apply to you? Hundreds of thousands of unemployed individuals are searching for a job right now just like you. And just like you, they’ve also probably thought that as we’re slowly coming out of a recession, you’ll take whatever you can find. But do you really mean that? Part of becoming successful in your job search isn’t just walking into an interview with your portfolio in hand and some scripted answers to common questions — even if you think those answers are well thought out. An article featured on Glassdoor.com titled, “Tips For A Successful Job Search: Half The Battle Is Knowing What You Want” asks readers and job seekers what they really do want from a job, challenging them to go after it.

The article explains, “If you’re a recent graduate or a job seeker who hasn’t been on the market in awhile, starting a job search can seem completely overwhelming. And in this economy, it can also be tempting to jump up and take the first offer that looks halfway reasonable. But if you’re looking for a new job, having a concrete outline of what you’re looking for can ensure you’ll find the job that’s really the right fit for you (and that you’ll be much more likely to stay at).”

Here are some vital things to consider when searching that you should never overlook:

“Know What You Want in Terms of Job Description

Most fields and industries have blanket job titles that can mean many different things at different companies. The might mean that a communications director at one company could be responsible for all print publications and marketing material, while a communications director at another company might work exclusively with social media. Before you jump at a job posting that has a title similar to yours, take the time to really comb through the job description. Do the details sound like something you could spend the next 2-4 years of your life doing? Are the responsibilities, managerial expectations, and day-to-day duties all in line with what you’re seeking?

Know What You Want In Regards to Salary (and Benefits)
Knowing your salary expectations are key, especially if you’re a recent college graduate or someone else who is just entering the work force. If that’s the case, you’ve probably worked throughout your education, but you might not have any clue what to expect when it comes to an annual salaried position, benefits, vacation time, and other parts of the offer package. As you start your job search, you should have a salary range in mind that corresponds with the job titles you are seeking out, as well as what kinds of benefits. This will save you a lot of time in the long run from applying to jobs that are out of your price range.

Know What You Want in Terms of Growth
It’s really easy to develop myopic vision during a job search, and only look for a position that will get you out of your current situation (whether that’s unemployed, bored, or unhappy at work) immediately. But when you’re starting a job search, you should have your entire career trajectory in mind. Where do you want to be right now, and then where do you want to be in 3-5 years? What position (and company) is going to help you gain the skills you’ll need to get to that next step?

Know What You Want Regarding Work/Life Balance
When you’re unemployed and looking for a job, any job, it’s easy to nod your head during an interview and say ‘Yes, I have no problem working overtime every night and most weekends.’ But is this what you really want? (If you’re a workaholic and it’s fine, more power to you.) As you start your job search, have an idea of what kind of work/life balance is ideal to you. If you’re interested in catering, for example, but you hate working weekends, you’ll want to seek out firms that cater corporate lunches and events (which usually take place during breakfast and lunch) versus those that exclusively do weddings (which will require weekends.) The better match you can find, the happier you’ll be, and the longer you’ll be able to stay in that career.”

While some of these points might seem basic, don’t forget to seriously think about them, as many job seekers seem to in the heat of the moment. Being unemployed can sometimes create a sense of desperation and a need for instant gratification, but put on the brakes. One of the most common interview questions is: where do you see yourself in 3-5 years? If you’re considering answering this one with, “I need a job and I will be your slave for the next 3-5 years,” then you might want to take a step back to determine what is actually important to you to assure that your job search is a successful one in the long run.

In light of the recent recession that much of the country is still recuperating from it’s a fact that many companies cut back in order to stay afloat and weather the economic storm. Now that there are clear signs that we are on the road to recovery it’s important to observe key factors that might indicate that your company is short-staffed and that it is time to look into starting to hire again.

An article on Bnet titled, “Wanna Become the Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company? Start Hiring Now” offers some crucial tips on how to tell whether or not you are short-staffed:

“If your customers complain. Long call center wait times can be measured, both internally and externally. If your customers are fuming about having to spend half an hour on “hold” then your call center might be understaffed. Similarly, if your employees are sending out a high volume of form letters that don’t address the actual problem — and generating complaints because of it — it could be a sign of trouble.

If your customer-service department is overtasked. If your customer-service jobs are burnout positions — places where attrition rates are far higher than in the rest of the company, then that could also be a sign that it’s not adequately staffed. If the folks in the service department complain about low morale and long hours, there may just be too few of them.

If your service scores are slipping. Falling scores from your customers can also be a sign that your service department isn’t pulling its weight. If your company’s marks have fallen off the charts recently, check the staffing levels in the service department. Have you recently downsized there, too? If so, that could be your problem.”

The article makes a point to conclude that there is usually never one simple solution. Trying to improve your company by adding more staff that will actually have meaningful jobs tending to clients’ needs rarely ever looks bad. New hires might be the start of something greater that can help the company’s image regardless.

“Bringing in new employees may not solve your customer service woes, but it could address them in a meaningful way. And who knows, you might someday refer to your company as ‘the Earth’s most customer centric.’ Your customers would like that.” We here at Alstin agree.

An article recently posted to the Harvard Business Review blog titled, “Small Wins and Feeling Good” establishes one of the best ways to help tackle obstacles by dissecting them into more manageable tasks. This philosophy can be used not only in the workplace or business environment, but also in your personal life and is a good practice to get into.

The article explains, “When you have a daunting mountain to climb, it is often best to break it into molehills. In his classic paper, ‘Small Wins,’ University of Michigan psychologist Karl Weick argued that large social problems are best broken down into smaller ones with concrete achievable goals. Social problems as enormous as, say, unemployment, can be so overwhelming that solutions seem unattainable; therefore, people often avoid tackling them or come up with single, grand programs that fail. Breaking such problems down into a series of more modest steps, all on the path to the ultimate goal, reduces fear, clarifies direction, and increases the probability of early successful outcomes – boosting support for further action.”

According to Weick, not only does breaking down problems seem to aid in finishing them more quickly and efficiently, but can also help “boost” morale. By getting seemingly impossible projects done, you’re more inclined to gain a feeling of satisfaction by crossing on task of your list and being able to start new ones. The article continues, “The power of small wins applies just as well to problems in business. Our recent research discovered how critical it is for teams and individuals working on complex problems to achieve small wins regularly. Because setbacks are so common in truly important problems, people become disheartened unless they can point to some meaningful advance most days, even if that advance is seemingly minor, and even if it involves nothing more than extracting insights from the day’s failures. This strategy propels long-term goal achievement. In his terrific book, Good Boss, Bad Boss (also here), Stanford University professor Bob Sutton argues that ‘big, hairy, audacious, goals’ are not only daunting, but they are usually too obvious and too broad to provide useful guidance for day-to-day work. Similarly, author Peter Sims emphasizes the importance of incremental goal-setting in Little Bets.”

Why does this matter in the workplace and how does it apply to your every day (and particularly, your occasional apathetic Monday)? The article pushes the idea that breaking down projects into small tasks and goals can be absolutely essential when considering our mental well-being. “A surprising angle on all this: To maintain emotional health, each of us needs small wins in our personal lives, too. In his book Feeling Good, Dr. David Burns discusses how important it is to keep track of, reflect on, and celebrate not just our major achievements, but also our seemingly minor ones. In the extreme, attention to small wins can help people lift themselves out of depression; this is one of the tenets of cognitive behavioral therapy. An example: People suffering from depression can find it difficult to maintain an exercise program, even though any kind of physical activity can reduce depressive symptoms. So, a goal like working out at the gym for an hour each day can seem unthinkable, and that work-out never happens. As Burns writes ‘You may assume you must do everything at once instead of breaking each job down into small, discrete, manageable units which you can complete one step at a time.’ This means that it’s much more effective to start with a modest goal like simply taking a walk around the block. By keeping track of success in meeting such a goal, and celebrating it, depressed people can begin to build their goals and start enjoying more, larger, successes.”

One of the most important things to take away from this blog is that “Small wins in personal life can keep all of us feeling good,” but again, remember that small wins in our professional life keep us feeling just as good and in control. Click the link to read more on what the article says about managing the illusion of huge dilemmas.

Facebook is not only used as a social networking tool, but it also serves as a massive online medium for advertising to all kinds of people internationally. While several retail companies have used Facebook to get their product out in front of the masses, Facebook is also an excellent resource for companies looking to hire or obtain fans and followers.

An article online, “Facebook claims more than 31% of the display ad market” is pretty self-exclamatory by the title, but some are still resistant to even test out their recruiting efforts online. So if you’re not convinced just by the title, the article goes on to explain, “The social network had 233.9 billion more impressions than the next largest display ad publisher. Of the more than 1.11 trillion online display ads U.S. Internet users viewed in the first quarter, nearly one in three, or 31.2%, were delivered on Facebook, according to web measurement firm comScore Inc. The leading social network led all web sites that displayed ads with 346.46 billion impressions, a 96.5% jump from the 176.31 billion impressions it delivered in the same period a year ago. Yahoo Inc. sites came in second with 112.51 billion impressions, followed by Microsoft Corp.(53.59 billion), AOL Inc. (33.45 billion) and Google Inc. sites (27.99 billion).”

Still not convinced that it’s worth your time or money? “Facebook has increasingly focused on online advertising, rolling out offerings such as Sponsored Stories, an ad service that lets companies place their logos alongside content from Facebook posts that involve the company. Consumers can click the ads, which appear on the right-hand column of news feed pages in a box labeled Sponsored Story, to visit advertisers’ Facebook pages. Online display advertising is thriving, says Jeff Hackett, comScore executive vice president.

‘We are now seeing more than one trillion display ads delivered every single quarter and nearly 300 individual advertisers spending at least $1 million a quarter on display, numbers which underscore just how large and vibrant the online medium has become,’ he says. ‘And it’s not just about the volume but about the quality of the advertising experience that can be delivered as we see continued investment in compelling, high-quality creative that helps cultivate long-term brand equity.’”

And while so may be leery of the dangers of posting online or creating a company Facebook page (which, yes, some are legitimate), take a look at the competitors in your industry and see what they’re up to. Weight the cons and pros and really consider delving into embracing this option. Using Facebook isn’t just for making friends anymore.

During the recession several companies, in an effort to stay afloat, went through the unfortunate and painful process of lay-offs, which isn’t easy for the employer or employees. That being said, the employees that remained at any given company after those cuts naturally took on more responsibility to compensate for the fact that there was less staff to do the work, most for little or no extra compensation. Sound familiar? If so, an article on The Wall Street Journal’s website titled, “How to Ease Your Workload” might help.

The article begins, “Given all of the work that has been piled on employees at leanly staffed companies during the weak economy, it’s understandable that some workers want to scale back.

Almost four in 10 workers say one of the most important attributes they will look for in a new employer is a less-stressful work environment, besides competitive pay and benefits, according to a survey of more than 5,000 workers and 2,000 employers conducted in February and March by jobs website CareerBuilder.com.

But with unemployment still high, employees may be wary about talking to their boss about working less…. To some extent, employers know there’s an issue. In December, CareerBuilder.com asked more than 2,000 employers if productivity levels could last this year, and 16% said: ‘No, workers are already burned out.’”

So if working less isn’t an option and your work environment will most likely remain just as stressful for some time, what can you do? Fear not. There’s help for that too.

“Ideally, workers should talk with their bosses before problems erupt. And calmness is key, experts say. ‘Do it at a time when you are not highly emotional,’ Ms. Kay says. ‘Don’t go into the boss’s office and scream or yell.’ Do go in with suggestions for how you can scale back yet still get your work accomplished, she says.

You want to offer solutions to your dilemma that will benefit your employer as well as you. You don’t want to come across as creating a bigger burden.

If your employer’s finances have rebounded somewhat, use that fact to strengthen your argument. Read the company’s press releases and financial statements and talk to co-workers, Mr. Myers says.

When discussing ways to reduce your workload, be upfront and make it clear that you don’t want to perform the job of more than one worker on a long-term basis, says Joel Garfinkle, an Oakland, Calif.-based executive coach.”

And if that’s still not enough- if lessening the workload isn’t possible, ask to be compensated for the extra work.

“Your company may not be able to lighten your workload. If that’s the case, you should ask to be properly compensated, says Jason Levin, district manager for career website Vault.com. Present all of your recent accomplishments and detail all of the extra work you’ve taken on.

‘Be very clear that you are willing to take on extra responsibility, but that if there is a merit increase or a performance bonus you want to be considered for those’ in return, Mr. Levin says. ‘That has to be clear from the very beginning. You are in charge of communicating your own expectations.’

But tact is important, he says. Workers should show that they understand the tough economic situation facing the company.”

Of course there is no guarantee that your request will be warmly received, the article stresses to not forget- “‘Put yourself in the shoes of your boss, who is probably also under a lot of pressure and stress,’ Mr. Levin says. ‘Reiterate your commitment to the organization’s success.’”

A few months ago we posted a blog about Honestly.com, a website that allows employers to rate employees and potentially rate them poorly on a public forum. But let’s be fair here as employees aren’t the only individuals in the workforce that are challenged, questioned or even attacked on the internet. On the other side of the coin rests GlassDoor.com, a website that touts itself as “as inside look at job and companies” that allows employees to anonymously rate their employment at companies, give details on their salaries, write about the office environment, the interview process and just about anything else they want. Previously, we questioned the ethics of posting on Honestly.com about employees and their performance. After all, there are so many factors to consider – whether or not the person rating is actually being honest or holds a strange vendetta against the employees, whether or not the performance at an old job that might have completely different requirements and a completely different environment is even relevant to a new job, and the list went on.

How do they define themselves?

“What is Glassdoor?

Glassdoor is a free career community where anyone can find and anonymously share an inside look at jobs and companies. What sets us apart is that all our information comes from current and former employees, interview candidates, and even the companies themselves. Now with more than a million salaries, company reviews, interview questions, office photos, and more, you have all the information you’ll need to manage your career and make more informed career decisions.

Plus, with Glassdoor’s proprietary JobScope™ technology job seekers have a new way to browse job listings and get instant, in-depth details about thousands of companies, including reviews from employees, salary information, recent news coverage, and more.

No other career or jobs site offers such detailed information about specific jobs at specific companies – all for free.”

But taking a closer look at GlassDoor.com prompts us to ponder the same questions. Is it possible that an employee just never got along with his or her superiors and is now writing to give the company a bad rep? Is it possible that their job requirements did not merit the salary they were expecting; giving them an excuse to post that the company employees pays poorly? GlassDoor.com, just like Honestly.com, allows people to give companies (instead of employees) a numeric rating based on whatever factors the person posting comes up with, as well as a list of pros and cons about the company. While for the most part, it seems as though people writing the ratings include valid pros such as benefits for full time employees, and cons such as work/life balance is tough, because people rating are allowed to basically write whatever comes to mind, this gives room for the same type of personal attack as Honestly.com does. Of course, just like Honestly.com, there are watchdog measures put into place to make sure this type of thing doesn’t happen frequently, but it only really needs to happen once to damage an individual’s or a company’s reputation. Aside from that, just because GlassDoor.com sees the post and erases it, doesn’t mean that no one else saw it and maybe posted it to their site, blog, etc.

The one ethical advantage GlassDoor has over Honestly is that GlassDoor does allow employers to fight back in way, using their own Public Relations. The site contains a “For Employers” section where, for a fee, employers can create a profile or job postings on GlassDoor that can “Tell your company’s story with an Enhanced Employer Profile. Highlight your employment brand, promote your latest job listings, and get access to advanced analytics and competitive benchmarking.”

As a professional, do you believe that the one redeeming factor on GlassDoor.com is enough? Does GlassDoor cross the same ethical lines as Honestly.com, or are they different? Is one more or less ethical than the other?

As a company, are you concerned about your reputation on the internet considering there are sites like GlassDoor that allow potentially disgruntled employees to post poor ratings?

As an employee, have you ever posted anonymously to GlassDoor or used it to research a company before applying or interviewing? Have you ever used GlassDoor.com to specifically look up salaries that a company might pay?

An article recently posted to Fistful of Talent titled, “Recruiters Don’t Own Executive Recruiting” evaluates the role of the Human Resources Recruiter when a company is in need of a higher-level position and why HR recruiters might not be the be-all and end-all for filling these positions.

The article starts off by creating a hypothetical situation in HR, “Ah, the internal executive search assignment—for some corporate recruiters, it’s the pinnacle of the talent acquisition world. Goodbye, days of customer service rep phone screens and hello, exploratory dinners and intriguing ‘meetings over drinks.’ I think a bunch of talent acquisition pros dream of the day when they get the call to fill a senior VP or C level impact role that will literally change the organization. How often can HR say that? So, when the CEO asks you to help recruit a direct report, I get that you feel like you have arrived. You have been grinding for years, filling countless entry and mid level jobs, knowing that one day you would own an executive search when the company had a need. You were sure that HR was going to deliver.”

But the solution the author offers can pretty much be summed up in one concise and ingenious graph, “Here’s my take though: HR does not own executive recruitment. Recruiters don’t recruit executives; executives recruit executives. You are the expert, but not the leader. Weird, huh?” What does that mean? The article proceeds to clarify, “When I have seen this done right, it’s typically because the CEO leads the charge and the successful recruiter plays a combo Kingmaker/Market Expert role. The talent pro is the trusted adviser, coordinating resources and teeing up the CEO with competitive talent intelligence and introductions in the niche market. Don’t get me wrong. The in-house recruiter needs to be the expert when it comes to defining requirements, identifying sourcing strategies, developing a sophisticated team approach and moving through identification, attraction, selection and closing. Talent Acquisition articulates and builds that strategy, but the CEO is the person who will close a senior exec. Sorry, it’s just not HR.”

As someone who has not only worked on the employment side of HR, but also has been a job seeker in the past (we all start somewhere), I can’t recall a time where I was seriously considered for a position, or seriously considered someone for a position, and only interviewed once with a recruiter. There has almost always been a second, or even third interview with a director, Vice President, or any individual who would later serve as my supervisor if I secured the position. That being said, this Fistful of Talent blog is absolutely justified in believing that recruiters don’t always own recruiting.

As an HR recruiter or professional, what do you think? Do you believe that the HR department “owns” recruiting? Have you filled a higher-level position without a final consent from a hiring manager or an executive that might work directly with the new hire?

While there are signs that the economy is improving and that companies are beginning to hire again, if you happened to be one of the lucky ones able to hold onto a job throughout the recession, you might be experiencing a different unpleasantly that could take a little longer to recover. Thousands of companies unfortunately made major cuts during the last two or more years, forcing the individual employee to pick up the slack and perform the same tasks alone that three or four people once performed. But fret not! There is help. An article titled, “It’s Not Mount Everest. It’s My Workload” recently posted on the New York Times website poses a few questions to those going through the same plight along with a few tips on how to make life a little easier in the workplace. Consider some of these:

“Q. Over the last couple of years your company has eliminated jobs, and you now have more work than you can handle. How do you ask for help in a way that doesn’t make you look inadequate or incompetent?

A. First, realize that you are far from alone. Many people working today feel overloaded, says Susan Zeidman a portfolio manager at the American Management Association who specializes in interpersonal communication skills and management. ‘People feel as if they have two or three jobs, not just one. It’s the No. 1 complaint from the recession among people we survey,’ she says.

One way to approach the topic is to acknowledge that you have acquired more responsibility in the last year and want to rise to the challenge, but could use some help in judging what tasks need to be done first and which ones can wait, says Ann Latham, president of the management consulting firm Uncommon Clarity in Easthampton, Mass.

‘Your attitude should be that you want to prevent yourself from having to cut corners or having the wrong things fall through the cracks,’ she says, ‘because that’s in the best interests of the company.’

Before talking to your boss, carefully analyze the components of your workload to gain an objective picture of the situation, says Allan R. Cohen, a professor of global leadership at Babson College in Babson Park, Mass., and co-author of “Managing for Excellence.” Find out who receives the reports, memos and other work projects you do — and whether they actually use them.

‘That’s how you determine what activities are critical, what can be dropped and whether some pieces can be delegated,’ he says. ‘It will also help you decide if there are any activities you are doing more for your own satisfaction than for meeting organizational needs. People often produce reports no one looks at.’

When you meet with your manager, have some options ready for dealing with your workload and frame the discussion in terms of how you can do a better job, Mr. Cohen says.

Q. Is it possible you could damage your career by asking for help?

A. You risk negative fallout only if you complain to your boss that you can’t handle your job. ‘Don’t go in there saying, ‘I have too much work’ because your boss has too much work, too,’ says Joanna Broussard, president of the BizMark Group, a business development consulting firm in Chicago. ‘It’s much more politically astute to offer some solutions and ask for support.’

And, as Ms. Zeidman says, ‘If you cannot complete your work and meet deadlines, you’re much more likely to suffer consequences.’

Q. Is there anything you can do to lighten the load on your own, like delegating some work to colleagues?

A. If you have a collaborative relationship with co-workers who do similar work, you can ask if they can help you with certain tasks, but generally it’s better to go through the chain of command, Ms. Latham says.

Let your supervisor decide whether work should be delegated and to whom, because it’s possible co-workers may be busier than they seem. ‘You can always suggest someone else on your team that might be able to handle some of the work, but I wouldn’t directly delegate to others unless you’re specifically given that authority,’ Ms. Broussard says.”

Although the article might not address every single issue you might be experiencing, (after all there is not magical one word answer that can solve everything) read the article further to see more questions and answers and you might just find what you’re looking for.

If you are currently a job seeker in the tri-state area, chances are you have used the staffing agency The Creative Group to help find the position that you’re looking for; and if you have used The Creative Group previously, be prepared for an inbox full of spam today from “potential employers” that don’t actually exist.

Robert Half, the parent company of The Creative Group announced via e-mail today to their customers that Epsilon Interactive, the e-mail service they use to send alerts to job seekers, was essentially hacked, along with several other companies using Epsilon Interactive. Below is the text from the e-mail that I received this morning, which doesn’t seem to appear any where on their actual website:

“Dear Valued Customer,

Today we were informed by Epsilon Interactive, our national email service provider, that your email address was exposed due to unauthorized access of their system. Robert Half uses Epsilon to send marketing and service emails on our behalf.

We deeply regret this has taken place and any inconvenience this may have caused you. We take your privacy very seriously, and we will continue to work diligently to protect your personal information. We were advised by Epsilon that the information that was obtained was limited to email addresses only.

Please note, it is possible you may receive spam email messages as a result. We want to urge you to be cautious when opening links or attachments from unknown third parties. We ask that you remain alert to any unusual or suspicious emails.

As always, if you have any questions, or need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us at customersecurity@rhi.com.

Sincerely,

Robert Half Customer Care
Robert Half Finance & Accounting
Robert Half Management Resources
Robert Half Legal
Robert Half Technology
The Creative Group”

Taking a look at Epsilon Interactive’s site offers a very brief press release that explains more of the situation without mentioning the Robert Half’s name:

“Epsilon Notifies Clients of Unauthorized Entry into Email System

IRVING, TEXAS – April 1, 2011 – On March 30th, an incident was detected where a subset of Epsilon clients’ customer data were exposed by an unauthorized entry into Epsilon’s email system. The information that was obtained was limited to email addresses and/or customer names only. A rigorous assessment determined that no other personal identifiable information associated with those names was at risk. A full investigation is currently underway.”

A news story appeared on the Huffington Post website Sunday evening offering additional information on the hack which unfortunately revealed that several companies have been attacked by this breach including, “Citigroup, Walgreens, TiVo, Capital One, HSN, College Board.” The article reports, “The names and e-mails of customers of Citigroup Inc and other large U.S. companies, as well as College Board students, were exposed in a massive and growing data breach after a computer hacker penetrated online marketer Epsilon. In what could be one of the biggest such breaches in U.S. history, a diverse swath of companies that did business with Epsilon stepped forward over the weekend to warn customers some of their electronic information could have been exposed.” The post clarifies that, “No personal financial information such as credit cards or social security numbers appeared to be exposed, according to the company statements and e-mails to customers.” The operative phrase here is “appeared to be exposed.”

The concern to me, particularly for the employment sector, is that anyone using the staffing agency might not be aware of this news and could open these e-mails and start sending personal information, commonly found on resumes and cover letters, to the supposed new jobs. Job seekers must remember to always use caution when sending resumes as they typically contain a home address, phone number and e-mail, but this “indecent” takes vigilance to a whole new level. Don’t forget, employers also use staffing agencies as well to push their job openings and might also experience a similar problem. Unfortunately, Robert Half’s website doesn’t offer much information concerning the issue. In conclusion, anyone using Robert Half’s services should be aware that some of the e-mails could be spam and it could potentially be harmful to forward personal information. Be cautious before sending any information.

An article recently posted on Bnet.com titled, “Cleopatra’s Three Can’t Miss Tips for Business Success” reveals a few tips from the Queen of Egypt that might shed some light on how to help you succeed in (and out of) the workplace.

Here are the three tips you can adopt from Cleopatra:

“Be Bewitching. By most accounts, Cleopatra was not only beautiful but funny, persuasive, seductive, a natural-born flatterer, and willing to spend massive amounts to throw unforgettable parties. The people loved their queen, and so did Julius Caesar and Marc Antony — the two most powerful men of the time. The Lesson: For business success develop a great personality, be rich, and be willing to kiss-up (literally) to anyone who is powerful enough to defeat you.

Be Ruthless. When her sister Arsinoe threatened to disrupt her reign, Cleopatra let her displeasure be known to Marc Anthony and the problem was, well, eradicated. No better fate befell Alexandrians she considered conspirators — Cleopatra sent the detached head of one of them to a strategic rival in order to curry favor. The Lesson: Dead men don’t tell tales, but they do make good marketing platforms.

Be Brilliant. She could build a fleet, beat down a revolt, and control the minutest details of the country’s currency. She was highly educated, fluent in nine languages and likely played a lovely lyre. She could converse eloquently on Homer with one breath, drop a ribald joke with the next. The Lesson: It doesn’t hurt to be the smartest person in the room, as well as the most beautiful and most compelling.”

The article goes so far as to include a bonus “character trait” that Cleopatra also possessed and exercised:

“Know how to make an entrance. When the Queen of the Nile visited Marc Anthony for the first time in his home city of Tarsus, Turkey, she had to make an impression to get the powerful warrior, and his followers, on her side. She arrived on a decorated barge, sailing under large purple sails and powered by 170 men with silver-painted oars. Here’s one account cited by Schiff:

‘She herself reclined beneath a gold-spangled canopy, dressed as Venus in a painting, while beautiful young boys, like painted Cupids, stood at her side and fanned her. Her fairest maids were likewise dressed as sea nymphs and graces, some steering at the rudder, some working at the ropes. Wonderous odors from countless incense-offerings diffused themselves along the river-banks.’ The Lesson: It’s better to be looked over than over looked.”

To sum up:

“… Cleopatra’s solid gold tips for business success: Be beautiful, rich, ruthless, a flirt, smart and a party girl with a sense of the dramatic. (Oh, and it would have helped if Elizabeth Taylor, R.I.P, played you in the movie.)” And while we wouldn’t go as far as to literally kill your competitors, there’s nothing wrong with a friendly little rival to remind you how to stay on top.

Remember back in grade school, when you anxiously sat at your desk awaiting the next spelling quiz? Or perhaps, the idea of getting up in front of class to complete a math problem on the chalkboard made you want to crawl under your desk and hide? Some things don’t change as we age and that same nervous energy that made you want to run away from the upcoming deadline of a huge science project in school still exists in the workplace with new kinds of challenges.

Spelling quizzes evolve to understanding how to answer questions about your company to clients. Doing math problems at the chalkboard become performing annual presentations to potential buyers or showcasing your company’s gains during the last fiscal year. And even big science projects are now projects in your office that need to be approved and completed by the end of the week.

If you never learned how to combat that horrible sinking feeling in grade school, chances are you still become a ball of nervous energy in the workplace. How can you possibly cope when the deadline is tomorrow?

An article posted to SmartBlog on Leadership titled, “How to counter fight or flight” offers a few tips on dealing with anxiety in the workplace. The blog suggests trying a few of these tips:

· Physical activities. Develop a set of activities such as curling your toes in your shoes. Moves like this will not only release high amounts of nervous energy, but also take conscious thought to engage, and it will re-center you. You can hide anxiety while you collect your thoughts.

· Preamble phrases. Experienced speakers, including many executives, use this one either inadvertently or by intent. Keep some phrases handy that lead into any kind of material. Phrases such as “There is so much to consider” or “To the best of my understanding” can help. They are rehearsed spacers, allowing you a moment to craft a substantive answer.

· Learned response. Rehearse expected outcomes. Think about every possible negative result. What can go off track a little? What can go horribly wrong? Focus on everything from the worst case and to the undesirable. If you take this approach, you will have conditioned yourself, in advance, to deal with an emotionally disruptive issue. Then when an issue actually arises, you will be prepared to some extent and energized for action, rather than afraid of the next few seconds and minutes.

· Face the tiger. Facing a “surrogate tiger” can teach you how to be prepared for a threat in your meeting or presentation. Ask someone you trust to give you a hard time about the issue you will have to face. If you are afraid that September’s board meeting will be brutal, find someone with the knowledge and personality to play the role of a challenger. Another approach is to find a situation, such as a Toastmasters meeting, to prepare so that you won’t go into fight-or-flight at the real business event.

So some of it might sound a bit strange (wiggle your toes?), but if it works, then what’s the difference? No one will even know, unless you’re wearing flip-flops to an interview or meeting which most wouldn’t advise, and if it keeps your anxiety at bay, then consider this article your new way to take on the world. You remember constantly shifting your weight at your desk in class, right? Same thing, but for adults. Go ahead and give it a try before your next presentation. Let us know if it works for you.

Do you have a secret way to swallow that horrible lump in your throat? What tricks do you use?

A New York Times article titled, “Google’s Quest to Build a Better Boss” by Adam Bryant explains how Google decided to try to analyze “performance reviews, feedback surveys and nominations for top-manager awards. They correlated phrases, words, praise and complaints.” Sound crazy? While some of the results of what Google titled “Project Oxygen” might seem a bit obvious, Google managed to effectively build what they call “people analytics” and “produced what might be called the Eight Habits of Highly Effective Google Managers.”

So what were some of the habits on the list?

· “Have a clear vision and strategy for the team.”
· “Help your employees with career development.”
· “Don’t be a sissy: Be productive and results-oriented.”

The article jests, “The list goes on, reading like a whiteboard gag from an episode of ‘The Office,’” but Google took a look at the list and put it into perspective on how they operate. “For much of its 13-year history, particularly the early years, Google has taken a pretty simple approach to management: Leave people alone. Let the engineers do their stuff. If they become stuck, they’ll ask their bosses, whose deep technical expertise propelled them into management in the first place. But Mr. Bock’s [Laszlo Bock, Google’s vice president for “people operations”] group found that technical expertise — the ability, say, to write computer code in your sleep — ranked dead last among Google’s big eight. What employees valued most were even-keeled bosses who made time for one-on-one meetings, who helped people puzzle through problems by asking questions, not dictating answers, and who took an interest in employees’ lives and careers.”

Amazed by this discovery, Mr. Bock remarked on what that meant to Google. “‘In the Google context, we’d always believed that to be a manager, particularly on the engineering side, you need to be as deep or deeper a technical expert than the people who work for you,’ Mr. Bock says. ‘It turns out that that’s absolutely the least important thing. It’s important, but pales in comparison. Much more important is just making that connection and being accessible.’”

Essentially, Google performed what began as an external experiment on finding the perfect boss and later found that when comparing the results to how they operated, Google didn’t have a clue on how to “build a better boss.” To read the process that Google went through to analyze the results, check out the original article.

But what does that mean to the rest of us? Has your company truly looked into “people analytics?” As an HR manager, have you, or have you considered, surveying your employees?

As a professional, have you ever worked for a company that offered a survey for you to fill out about how you feel about topics in your workplace?

After reading Google’s results, you might want to give it a try to see if your company can make a similar discovery.

Six Flags America in Prince George’s County, Maryland is exploring a different way to find the right applicant. “‘We’re looking for the most engaging, outgoing people,’ said Julia Filz, the park’s spokeswoman. ‘We want people who aren’t shy. In this business, you can’t be shy.’” But how can an employer assure that candidates aren’t “shy” in a business that requires enthusiasm and an undying energy? After all, most job seekers do attempt to practice before going to an interview, sometimes so much so that they can come off as almost scripted. When you’re looking to hire someone who isn’t afraid of being in the public eye, Six Flags offers an alternative to the traditional interview and they even explain how to prepare for it in advance on their website.

According to an article in the Washington Post, “About 1,000 job seekers came in for group interviews and were given 60 seconds each to stand up in front of some of the park’s managers and seasonal supervisors and do . . . something.” What “something,” do you ask?

“One woman did 20 pushups. A teenage girl moonwalked, then shrieked like Michael Jackson. A young man did jumping jacks. Somebody drew a picture. Somebody else belted a gospel song.”

And the talent show didn’t stop there. One teenager described her interview process, the results and the expectations she held before walking into the interview.

“Malerie Matthews, a 16-year-old from Upper Marlboro, made up a poem:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I want a job
How about you?

She was hired as a ride attendant.

‘I thought they’d ask me some questions and give me a tour of the park, and then I’d go home,’ she said.”

And why exactly is Six Flags trying this approach? “‘It’s a different interview style,’ said Brad McClain, a human resources supervisor. ‘But we’re not your typical employer.’ There were role-playing sessions during the interviews, too. But the 60-second showcases were key. Went to a job fair and a talent show broke out! The company wanted engaging. It wanted outgoing. Simply put- “It wanted people who are willing to do the Dougie on command. “‘Who knows how to Dougie?’ aquatics supervisor Olivia Lawson asked a group of applicants, referring to a dance that’s popular with the kids. ‘Teach me how to Dougie.’” Two giggling teenagers stepped forward. They herked and jerked. Lawson hooted.

All kidding aside, Six Flags recognizes the nature of their work and aren’t afraid to admit it- The working conditions and pay aren’t ideal for most, but the amusement parks still manage to get results. “Six Flags positions pay anywhere from minimum wage to $10 an hour. The bright green polo shirts that park employees wear are the opposite of cool. Working conditions can be brutal. (You try operating the Flying Carousel when it’s 90 degrees with 90 percent humidity.) And yet 25,000 people apply for the jobs at the park every year.”

While their interview process might seem a bit odd, let’s not forget the Alstin blog about some of the wackiest interview questions. In comparison, this style of interviewing seems to make more sense considering the type of applicant the company is seeking. The tips to prepare for an “audition” on their website include, but are not limited to:

· Please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled audition time.
· Please bring a recent headshot and resume with current contact information.
· If you plan to audition with a musical number, please bring the sheet music or a backing track on CD.
· Please review the audition material requirements. If you are asked to audition with a monologue, please come prepared with a monologue.

So maybe you don’t necessarily want candidates singing and dancing through your office, but are you seeking someone who isn’t afraid of public speaking? Someone who will have to speak frequently to media, travel to see prospective clients to talk to them about your services or give annual presentations on the company’s status in front of potentially hundreds of professionals? Why not give a potential employee the chance to really show off their talent by allowing them to give a mock presentation or a monologue?

As a hiring manager, do you believe that Six Flags is onto something? Could this interview style work for your company, if tweaked to your specifications, or do you think this is an impractical method for a professional atmosphere?

As a job seeker, would you be willing to stand up in front of your employer and do “something” if asked? How would you show off your talent?

After you’ve spent time crafting your cover letters, sending out what seemed like hundreds of resumes and going on interview after interview, you’ve finally landed the job that you’ve been looking for. And while you’re excited to start something new (and maybe even a little nervous), there’s another important factor to consider. Now that you got your job, how do you make sure to keep it?

Of course, you know the basics- come in on time, put in real effort, show that you’re capable of being both responsible and accountable, but what about something more personal? CareeRealism.com suggests “4 Tips for Connecting with a New Boss” that you might want to consider practicing.

The article begins with a vital fact that many people seem to forget – “Undoubtedly, most of us have gone through some kind of transition with our supervisors. Perhaps the person was recruited away to another company or maybe there was a merger and they got reassigned to another department. Whatever the reason, something important has been lost. When your boss leaves, they take with them that person’s knowledge of your contributions, skills, knowledge, and expertise. And a new boss means a completely blank slate. Your new job is to get to know them, ASAP.” While this might not be in your job description, the article emphasizes, “If they don’t know your value, they could make decisions that don’t factor you in as a valuable asset.”

Here are the 4 top tips the article offers on maintaining a good rapport with a new boss whether you’re new to the company or they are:

“1. Speak up in meetings. If you are always in the background, now is the time to jump in. If you aren’t seen as an active participant on the team, this could be a red flag to a boss who might be surveying the landscape for potential house cleaning later. Be a positive contributor.

2. Set up a one-on-one meeting. If the boss has not done so already, set up a time to meet with them to provide an overview of your work and to allow them to get to know you better. Building connections will also help you both assess your working styles to figure out how you will be able to communicate best. This can lay the ground work for a great collaborative work relationship.

3. Provide regular updates. You don’t need to be a classic ‘brown-noser’ but proactively providing updates on project status or other work you are conducting is one less question or request that the boss has to make. If you reliably turn in work or reports on-time and in an organized fashion, you’ll be perceived as professional and as the department standard.

4. Empower, Educate, and Engage. New bosses don’t necessarily want to admit that they are behind the learning curve in getting acclimated to a new company or division. They are struggling to get caught up with priorities, challenges, and opportunities, while trying to get to know the team that will take them there. Be willing to share in a helpful way to give the new boss the knowledge and tools to get them up to speed as soon as possible. You could gain a very powerful career advocate as a result.”

The article concludes by reminding us, “If you build a reputation as a helpful, friendly resource who is competent in your work and an engaged member of the team, your new boss will see you as an important asset and include you in key projects and potential promotions.”

This is a step that many new hires seem to forget about, but is there anything you can think of that the article left out that might be relevant to making a deeper connection with a new boss?

We thought of one. We also tend to forget another tip that the article left out. Always do your best to remember that even if you don’t see eye to eye on everything all of the time, both the new employee and the boss are people. Human beings that make mistakes, sometimes forget how to communicate professionally and politely, and have other lives outside of work that can become just as hectic and accidentally leak into their professional lives. Always give each other the courtesy of remembering that we are all human and you might find yourself able to make a connection with your boss and co-workers that you didn’t originally think was possible. A little compassion and empathy can go a long way.

In case you missed it- early this month a Pennsylvania high school English teacher became so frustrated with issues she was experiencing with her students, that she decided to publicly blog about the problems, not only explaining the concerns she has for the future of education, but throwing in a few snippy remarks that successfully managed to insult and offend a number of parents, teachers and students around the country. 

Not only was she suspended after this online rant, but according to an article from Time.com, she effectively started a “viral classroom debate.” If you’ve been keeping up on the Alstin blog, you might remember a similar topic that I wrote about at the end of January on why controversy in your social media can be a positive, but as the Time article reveals, teacher Natalie Munroe took controversy to a whole new level, “In one post, she advises students to go get jobs with the trash company. In another, she calls them ‘rude, disengaged, lazy whiners.’ In yet another she doesn’t mince words, proclaiming, ‘There’s no other way to say this: I hate your kid.’”

Is this taking controversy a bit far? To most, yes. But in an interesting turn of events, is what Munroe did technically illegal? Not according to her attorney, “Steve Rovner, [who says] legally she did nothing wrong to warrant suspension. Rovner says his client’s school district does not have a policy in place that dictates what teachers can and cannot do online and Munroe did not name the school, nor her students, in her blog posts.” And though this might hold up in court, the article continues, “Still, while Munroe maintains what she wrote was meant only to serve as amusement for herself, her husband and seven of her friends who read the site, in publishing the rants to a blog — rather than, say, via a mass e-mail to friends and family — she opened herself up to the chance that anyone outside her circle could find the posts.”

To read the entire update on Munroe’s current media firestorm, see the Time.com article. But what can we learn from Munroe’s plight? Here are a few tips that we should all embrace when using social media about not just the workplace, but anything:

1. As the old saying goes, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Remember that anything you post online about your work, company, co-workers, etc. is public. Anyone can find it. Even if you have the post viewable to only certain friends, there is still a chance that one of those “friends” could read and re-post somewhere in a public forum.

2. Before you decide to rant online about your employees that might lack initiative, or the company policies that you don’t agree with, or your micro-managing boss that chooses which color your mouse pad is allowed to be, or any personal issues, take a few deep breaths and talk to your friends or family over the phone or in person about it first, instead of the gut reaction to get instant gratification by posting online. As the article reports, “her husband and seven of her friends” knew that Munroe could offend quite a few by writing what she wrote. Chances are if your family and friends don’t think it’s a good idea to publicly rant about something online, you probably shouldn’t.

3. If you feel that the issues you are experiencing at work really are affecting your own performance or you’re just not comfortable with certain practices, or a particular co-worker, calmly address the problem with that individual or the department responsible for employee grievances. Remember, this is for every employee regardless of whether you are a janitor or a manager.

While blogging about controversial issues can help bump your readership, get your audience involved and possibly help you find issues to your problems, let’s not push it. Throwing around what could be perceived as insults towards managers, employees, co-workers, policies or any other workplace issue is running into dangerous territory. No one wants to be viewed as a social media bully, so again, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

Thinking about your sweetheart all day? Anticipating that special, romantic candlelit dinner after work? Ah, yes- it’s February 14^th, which means for many that love is in the air and we can take time to celebrate the relationships in our lives that we cherish most. But in honor of Valentine’s Day, let’s examine a different kind of relationship that most of us work at improving and maintaining every day. No, it’s not your never-ending battle with your spouse to put the dirty laundry in the hamper. This is your relationship with your employees or, on the other hand, with your employer, and it is vital to keep a good one.

Most of us spend more waking hours at work then we do at home (unless, of course, you are nocturnal), so what can we do to maintain a good relationship with those we work with constantly? There have been literally thousands of articles written on how to maintain and improve workplace relationships, as well as several state and federal laws on the subject, so let’s narrow it down to something we can all understand. An article on eHow gives a few tips on preserving this essential connection.

The article starts off by emphasizing the significance of this kind of relationship, “The relationship between an employer and its employees is an important factor in the company’s success. Employers will treat their employees with respect and visa versa if they all want to succeed and achieve goals. Some companies forget to focus on employee retention and appreciation, and then they lose productivity.” The article then summarizes some guidelines to keep in mind in the workplace:

Motivate employees by giving them incentives within the workplace. Treat all of your employees equally and give them all the chance to win a free trip, a free dinner or tickets to the next theatre production. Reward your employees for their improved hard work.

Spend time with your employees. Many bosses and owners forget the ‘little people’ that make it all happen. Sit down and talk with each one of your employees when you have time and ask if they are happy with their jobs and what improvements they think the company should make. 

Plan a team building event and ask all your employees to attend including upper, middle and lower management. Get everyone together as a team and allow them to undergo various team building and trust creating activities. 

Invite all of your staff and managers to an event or a BBQ in your back yard. If you are an owner or the CEO of the company, then what better way to warm up to your employees then homemade BBQ chicken! 

Ask your managers to work closely with their teams and to support any issues that come up, or mistakes that might occur. Get everyone working together on finding a solution that everyone agrees on. If you have to, create a problem and ask everyone to work on it to find the answer.

Now while some of the article might not apply to everyone, keep in mind that this article was written by an eHow contributor that took the time to come up with a few of their own suggestions based off of their life experience. Therefore, this article might offer some of the best ideas, as these come from someone who has experienced employer-employee relationships in the workplace. Alternatively, some of these guidelines are slightly more sterile or cut and dry than the psychology that should go into keeping up good relations in the workplace. Remember, that just like any other relationship, there are no simple, one word answers, but there is always a plethora of advice online that help to make these relationships successful.

Have you found that any particular methods have been successful for your relationships in the workplace? What problems have you had and how have you worked to solve them?