I last blogged about the US Department of Labor’s “Tools for America’s Job Seekers Challenge”. In an effort to learn more about — and then publicize — the best FREE online tools for a variety of job-search related research, the government called on the public to check out more than 600 sites and then vote on them. Vote they* did! Nearly 16,000 registered to rank the submitted sites over a two week period in January. Said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, “My thanks go out to the businesses and organizations that submitted their tools for evaluation, and to the members of the public who offered their input. We called on the public to let us know what they want out of online job tools, and they have responded in great numbers. In the process, we also created a great resource for job seekers.” The votes have been tallied and the top-ranking tools are now posted.
* Eyeing up your boss’ office? Human Capital Institute offers those interested in the Talent Management arena a “think tank” of free webcasts and alternative educational programs and certifications to upgrade HR skill sets in the Talent Acquisition, Management and Leadership competencies.
* An out-of-office escort is a lousy way to end a relationship. Monster Evolutions offers outplacement services for Employers and Employees with one goal: getting former workers rehired into prosperous new positions or new careers.
* What the military lacks in website naming creativity, it makes up for in preparedness. Current members of the armed forces and veterans can check out www.military.com to get connected to all the benefits of services, great stories of military life or missions, and career and educational opportunities.
* Giddyup! Job seekers nationwide may want to look beyond the usual sites to www.careerstallion.com
* And, last but not least, for the ex-offender nearest and dearest to your heart, there are three (!) sites recommended by the DOL. One, The Next Step/WOTC Solutions is a program that provides services to both offenders and businesses by preparing offenders for the workplace while assisting businesses with a $2,400 tax credit to help hire ex-offenders.
Those are just a few parts of the Challenge that caught my eye (along with the slightly incongruous photo of three co-workers huddled together at work while surfing for new jobs). Dig in and reap the rewards of a government project that was much more worthwhile than the one that studied cow emissions. From resume writing sites to those that help students looking for grant money and retirees who want back in the game, there’s something for just about everyone at www.careeronestop.org (click on Job Seeker Tools at the top of the page).
* Gary Zukowski, founder of TweetMyJOBS noted one alarming problem with the Challenge: “First, there’s no validation of the votes. A person or company can cast unlimited votes with ficticious names and email addresses and dramatically skew the results,” says Zukowski. “For example, we were able to vote using a non-working email with the name ‘Barack Obama.’ Five days later the name ‘Barack Obama’ was still listed under ‘user activity’—a fact that should raise red flags. In addition to no validation on the votes, there is nothing preventing people in other countries from participating. The outcome could be determined by people who are not even citizens of the United States.”
Ah well, you can’t blame a government agency for trying!
It seems as if just about everyone here at Alstin knows just about all there is to know about the Web, especially when it comes to recruiting and/or retaining employees. When a client (or a friend, or a relative) needs help searching for a job — or for employees — someone here usually has a much too-lengthy list of recommendations to share. But as is usually the case, while some are neck-deep in knowledge, there are often equal numbers of those without a clue.
That’s where our government comes in.
In an effort to educate more job seekers about the array of online job search tools available to them, the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration has launched a “Tools for America’s Job Seekers Challenge.” Offering businesses and other organizations the chance to showcase their products, the challenge uses crowd-sourcing technology to inform job seekers about online career resources. Phase 2 (RECOMMEND TOOLS) is just coming to an end, with Phase 3 (RESULTS) coming in February.
The free Tools being identified for jobseekers are sorted and being evaluated in the following categories:
· General job boards, listing sites and aggregators
· Niche job boards
· Career tools such as ladders and transition tools
· Web-based career exploration sites
· Social media sites specializing in job searches or job postings
· Other job matching and career advancement tools
Though the current list of contenders has a few familiar names — aftercollege, craigslist, careerbuilder, linkedin are obviously there — I was pleasantly surprised not only by the mix of national and regional players, but strategies to help those who are looking for a job find a better plan (see Lazone Grays Jr.’s “Self-employment as a Pathway Out of Poverty”). I really like www.careerrealism.com from an editorial standpoint (their tagline? “Because EVERY Job Is Temporary.”) and think our tri-state area could use a www.Door64.com of our own.
I started to lose track of time checking out some of the tools entered in the Challenge and wondering about the tools who also voted for some of the sites. It seems as if some states/industries are represented better than others (or got the word about the contest out more quickly to constituents than others?), but overall, I’ve found the Challenge a great way to get up to speed quickly on a variety of known, relatively unheard-of, and up-and-coming tools and ideas.
I’ll definitely be checking back at the end of the month for Phase 3: Communicating Results. The DOL/ETA will publish the top tools in each category, with the goal of helping workforce system leaders decide which tools to make available through One-Stop Career Centers, state job banks, and other on-line resources.
Here’s hoping the Challenge not only helps someone you know and loved to work with, but gets the organizations helping people find or market jobs back on track as well.
When I was offered an Account Executive position at what was then Alstin Advertising, I was thrilled. Not only was I escaping winter in Ocean City, NJ (my parents had just moved there and I was living with them until I landed my “dream job”) — I loved the thought of working for an ad agency in Center City, Philadelphia.
I was also entertaining an Account Coordinator offer from a full service retail ad agency. Torn between two very good choices, I contacted a mentor I had met with a few times and told him about my options: Great Position at a niche recruitment advertising agency — marketing jobs and/or the companies that are looking to fill them, or Okay Position at a traditional agency with sexy clients, products and offices. This is the gist of what he told me:
“You can take the Coordinator position and get exposure to a lot of big clients, but you may have to wait awhile to get promoted. It will probably be pretty menial work, and you may be at the whim of the accounts they have. For instance, if their big client is Coca-Cola, and Coca-Cola goes with another agency, almost everyone that works on Coca-Cola would get laid off. If you take the AE position, you’ll have a range of responsibilities as well as client contact. You’ll also learn a lot about the various departments in an ad agency. The agency you’re looking at has hundreds of clients, so if they lose one, it might not mean layoffs. But the one big drawback is that you will be pigeon-holed. You’ll work in advertising, but it’s recruitment advertising. It’s mostly the classified section of the newspaper. Even if you only spend a few years there, it may be tough to find a job at a retail agency because you focused on jobs instead of products or services.”
He also told me it depended on what my plan was for the rest of my life. (Keep in mind I was 23 at the time.) If I really wanted to be a big shot in the advertising industry, I should move to New York City. But I’d have to expect to work long hours and pay a lot for just about everything.
I thought over my mentor’s advice. He had built a 35 year career for himself at a respected Philadelphia agency, and seemed to know what he was talking about. I did want a family some day, and the long hours and financial realities of the big city weren’t appealing. I fantasized about writing ads for Nike, but I didn’t want my job to be my life. I wanted to work on projects that challenged me, but I thought stable was just as important as sexy.
Fast forward 16 years. Recruitment advertising was my decision, and it has turned out to be a great one. Though I started out as an Account Exec and had a great time interacting with clients, I grew into the copywriter role I always dreamed about and have loved it. Here’s what I like most about recruitment advertising (now called Employer Marketing), Alstin, and why I think selling jobs may actually be better than selling sneakers.
Challenging copywriting projects – How do you convince a nurse to choose one hospital over another when they are just blocks from one another and offer almost identical settings, services, and compensation? Every hard-to-fill position presents a stimulating wake-up call for the brain.
Diverse clients – From window washing companies hiring laborers to communications firms seeking engineers with high-level government clearances, you’re exposed to incredibly different requests on a daily basis.
Talented, ‘tude-less people – None of the graphic designers I work with wear head-to-toe black. They don’t always read AdWeek (though they occasionally use Print magazine as placemats for drippy lunch items). And the only awards they’ve won are displayed in our conference room, because they were won as part of a team.
Technology matters – Though the Internet briefly disrupted the stability that recruitment advertising enjoyed for decades, employer marketing firms are now offering some of the coolest online targeting tools around. We still get ads for the classified section (some of us still even read the classified section), but most of our services and products are about connecting with prospective candidates on the web and interactively.
Service is everything – Power lunches have lost their luster. Though I still have memories of a dozen or so Le Bec Fin meals to feed my imagination, clients today care much more about the strategies and ideas we share with them than they do the desserts.*
Adapting is the other everything – Companies’ needs don’t change even when the volume of business they do does. They still need to recruit and/or retain the best, but now, more than ever, be smarter and more cost-conscious about it. Alstin has not only rolled with the punches — we’ve come out swinging with updated products, services and creative.
Advertising with a conscience – Though the odds are against me ever writing a multi-million dollar commercial people watch over wings and beer, there’s definitely something to be said for creating copy that links great people with great opportunities. That one sentence I come up with could convince someone to apply for their dream job. They could get it. And then they, like me, could live happily-ever after. Pigeon-holed and proud.
* Economy be damned, I must say that I really, really miss the dessert cart.
I admit it: I still own a daily planner. With paper pages. Years ago, my husband tried to push me into reality with a PalmPilot. It looked simple enough, and I really liked the cute pen that came with it, but I returned it. My explanation was the same as the one he gave me when I got him a down comforter before we were married: “I like what I have now.”
Note that he didn’t say, “I like what I have better.” After all, he wouldn’t have known which he preferred since he didn’t give the down comforter a chance. My impassioned assertions of the feathery heaven that is down didn’t sway him. He was good with the status quo.
But in the past few years, the status quo for communications has been turned on its ear — especially for recruitment. The choices for connecting with prospective candidates are exciting and enticing. New electronic tools and technologies seem to roll out on a daily basis. And thanks to the web, our ability to share with others is instantaneous.
With copywriting the heart of my responsibilities here at Alstin, I began watching all the change warily. I wondered what would happen to flyers. Direct mail postcards. And brochures. Turns out, those print standbys are still here. They’ve just entered the digital age. It’s been cool to watch collateral turn electronic, and even cooler to see clients who mix and match both worlds.
One such Alstin client, Christiana Care Health System, recently took one of business’ first networking tools — the business card — and turned it into a ebusiness tool. Its new job? Directing prospective candidates, current employees, vendors, and even patients to social networking sites they can be found on.
Recipients learn that the system has career-focused content on social networking sites (in their case, Facebook and Twitter) and can check them out, “Fan” or “Follow” them, and even link directly to their Careers site to apply for a job.
All that from one little piece of recycled tree pulp? It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
It also gives me hope for my daily planner, housed in a soft leather binder that stores an address book, a calendar that I run my life with, a hodgepodge of articles and lists I’ve ripped out of magazines, and a bunch of my kids’ old baby pictures.
Hmmmm? What’s that you say?
PalmPilots, Blackberrys and iPhones can do all that, in less space and with more efficiency and connectivity?
Excuse me while I crawl back under my down comforter.
Getting noticed on the ‘net is about more than what you say. It’s also what you show.
Whether you’re a member of Generation V (still holding on to a few much-loved VHS tapes), Generation You (forwarding YouTube’s latest and greatest to friends), or Generation “i”(making movies using your personal camcorder or even your phone), you’re part of a worldwide communication community seeing video step into the limelight as the virtual storyteller it was meant to be.
Today, videos can capture the mundane just as creatively as the magnificent.
Rather than being a product of Hollywood, videos can be made by anyone with access to technology that’s smaller and easier to use than ever before. It used to be that videos were done by “professionals” focused primarily on weddings and training pieces for businesses. Charging hefty fees not only for their time and talent but the technology, videographers wore black, toted truckloads of imposing equipment, and wowed clients with perfectly timed fades and dissolves.
Now, most people putting videos out there didn’t go to school for it — they learned by watching them. Since most affordably-priced digital cameras can create a thirty-second clip by pushing a button, videos have become commonplace. In less time than it takes to say, “cheesy-fade-in-of-your-Aunt-and-Uncle-dancing-the-Electric-Slide,” a video shot by an individual can be shared with a link and have nearly-instantaneous exposure to a mass audience.
For those looking for a relatively inexpensive and simple way to communicate a message, image, or idea in a compelling way, video has become a real technological treat. The trick is, deciding the What’s, How’s and Where’s that impact what you’re creating.
Unfortunately, more people making videos does not correlate to an exponential increase in quality. Thanks to the relatively universal access of cameras (and phones) that shoot video, there are plenty of cinematic sins being committed. Whether you decide to create a video on your own, or to partner with a firm with some experience, as with any message, considering and understanding your target audience is first and foremost. Are you entertaining? Or teaching? Informing? Or convincing? Sharing? Or selling? Finding out the best way to get your video in front of them is next. Will you use your own website? Someone else’s? An email with a link? A DVD or flash drive? Or social networking? Since sharing and compression issues can impact the ultimate success of what you create, finding someone who knows something about source quality and frame motion is important. If you decide that the best way to go about creating your video is to partner with someone who’s done some that got noticed for the right reasons (preferably without a “Gone Wild” reference…), then coming up with your concept/hook/plan/story is probably the most exciting part of the process.
With fewer creative limitations than print, video can capture just about anything you have in mind. And though a Matrix-like stunt sequence will definitely set you back in terms of budget, there are myriad ways to set your story apart without scaring the pants off of your Finance Department. Want proof that an effective and entertaining video doesn’t have to cost a lot? Mac — a company known for making the most of technology — has shown again and again that the message is just as important as the medium.
Branding was always big. We just didn’t always have a name for it. Brand familiarity started with a typeface a company used. Logos came along. Then advertisements worked to define products, services or — in the case of recruitment advertising — jobs. Whether a brand was big/flashy, clever/cool, or corporate/simple, it was recognizable because you saw it in a magazine or in the newspaper.
The exposure was no accidental occurrence. Organizations paid big money to have public relations firms, advertising agencies and product placement companies “develop” their brand and then to get it “out there”.
But in the last year alone, we’ve seen a momentous shift in marketing priorities and the way a brand gains familiarity.
It’s not, “What are we going to say in our ad?”
It’s, “What are we going to say on Facebook?”
It’s not, “Who will we get to talk about our new product?”
It’s, “Who will we get to Tweet?”
It used to be that the first thing you saw when you went to an organization’s website was its brand. Now, one of the first things you notice is that it has a presence on Facebook. Suddenly, adding one trusty little clickable logo is one of the most important boosts you can give to your homepage. Especially in an economy that’s still on the mend, the number one priority for most organizations — financial companies, universities, health systems, and yes, communications firms like Alstin — is getting noticed by the most people for the least amount of money. And for marketers and employers of all shapes and sizes, social networking is delivering.
Whether you gain “fans” on Facebook, blog about a product you know people are going to be pumped about, or put your best jobs on Twitter, social networking sites are taking over where traditional, overpriced venues left off — and brands are benefitting. For instance, by connecting your brand with Facebook’s, you’re getting a domino effect of exposure that even the most carefully audited subscriber/circulation report (remember those?) couldn’t beat. With Twitter, someone can talk about how impressed they were with your company and your CEO — who saw the “tweet” — can thank the person minutes later (talk about effectiveness tracking)!
It’s a high-priced newspaper’s worst nightmare and a well-developed social networking site’s dream come true. Speaking of the stuff of dreams…has anyone calculated the true cost of all the free advertising Facebook is getting each time a visitor to a website with the “FB” link eyeballs it? We at Alstin are partnering with our clients to develop compelling content for Facebook Fanpages. We’re giving them recommendations on using Twitter to market their career opportunities as well as their top performers. And instead of buying expensive TV time, we’re uploading videos to YouTube.
It’s still Branding.
It’s just brand new.
New can be scary if you’re not in the know. If you’re ready to become part of the social networking movement but aren’t sure where to begin, email me at blog@alstin.com.
I, for one, am sad to see the scratch-off lottery card-powered ERPs go. Alstin was the first to apply them to Employee Referral Programs — we even won a Creative Excellence Award for the original ERP we used them for. Those addictive little gold spaces revealed treasures to be coveted (usually a pen, water bottle, or a stress ball…remember those?). They added excitement to the referral process and were part of the movement that believed employees should be rewarded not only for a successfully hired candidate, but for going to the trouble of reaching out in the first place.
But then budgets shrank. Even for this most cost-effective of hiring tools — ERPs are shown again and again to the be the most cost-effective way to recruit the highest quality candidates — incentives fell by the wayside. The referral bonuses remained, but even those varied depending on whether you were referring someone for a “hot job”, a lukewarm one, or one of the Jack Frost variety.
Paper-based ERPs morphed into less wasteful online varieties. More instantaneous responses. Quarterly emails to remind people of the program’s rewards. The ability to capture resumes and funnel them to your ATS. Good times.
Then: “What are you doing?”
Or more to the point, “What are you doing at your current job when you could be finding a more interesting/higher paying/closer-to-home job?” Twitter arrived, and Tweet it has. For those who choose to follow an organization’s job updates, there’s no need to check a Careers website. To email HR. Or, (gasp) to ask a friend about opportunities. The viral version of the ERP is alive. It’s well…better. And it’s kicking fast and taking names. Don’t believe me? Check it out yourself.
I heard John Mayer just applied for a job with Apple.
Or maybe it was that Apple Paltrow-Martin was listening to John Mayer…
There was a time when LinkedIn was viewed as an electronic version of the Rolodex — the new way to collect the most pertinent vitals about your co-workers, clients and friends in a more high-profile place. Sure, it was a website, but it seemed to be more about finding out who really liked andor respected you than it was about receiving business-generating leads or bona fide job offers.
For many, it was the first time they’d updated their resume in years — instead of just waiting patiently in a folder in case you were “ready for a change,” your work history was on the web for all to see. Inflated GPAs suddenly seemed a bit more risky. And there was the profile picture. Millions of people shuddered at the prospect of putting their faces front and center.
Then the bubble burst. Make that many bubbles. Over the last few years, announcements of economic indicators have been like a barrage of mini-shots of Alka Seltzer hitting our proverbial upset stomachs. Suddenly, LinkedIn seemed less like a grown-up MySpace page and more like a life-saving ring. You not only looked to your Network for possible job leads, but, as sweet sailing got a bit rocky, you went to those who were Linked for personal Recommendations — and the resulting much-needed ego-boosts. Because let’s face it: no matter how good you are, no matter how great a job you know you’ve done, when you’re laid off, you begin to question the reality you’ve been living. You feel awful. And you wonder, “Am I as good as I thought I was? What am I best at? What words would people who knew me use to describe me?”
Then you know.
For me, writing a Recommendation on LinkedIn is more than just a post in cyberspace. It’s an opportunity to tell someone what I should have while I worked with them. A Recommendation could also be what makes the difference between someone getting a call for an interview or spending another frustrating week trying to stand out in a sea of lost workers. I’ve written a few pro-active Recommendations for people I’ve worked with, and one for someone after she was laid off. I’ve also read dozens of Recommendations for people I know who’ve lost their jobs. It’s not as depressing as you’d think.
My sister in law, a VP who’d worked for the same company for two decades, had to lay off several of co-workers a few months back. As she was preparing to do so, she called to ask if I knew about any employee placement firms that could help her employees with leads and spent a week of late nights writing thoughtful LinkedIn Recommendations for them.
Last week, the tables turned, and it was my sister-in-law’s turn to try to make sense of office rumors and dwindling incoming emails. When I talked to her on the phone, she realized she probably only had a day or two before she got her notice. The next day, when I saw a huge spike in her LinkedIn Recommendations, I knew it had happened. But along with learning that she had been laid off, I also learned a lot about who my sister-in-law (hostess-extraordinare, multitasking mom, gourmet Italian cook) was at work. Seeing her through the eyes of her co-workers, I realized that everything she brought to her family, she brought to those she worked with. She was called “an expert in her field”, “a great mentor,” “highly versatile,” “a constant professional,” “understanding and fair,” and, the basic requirement for real success in an organization, “someone who truly cares.” I believe she will find a great new job sooner rather than later. I know that LinkedIn will help her. And I hope that she realizes what’s most obvious to me: it wasn’t her loss, but theirs.
There was a time when having the opportunity to have people read what you’d written was a kind of honor. I’m not talking about your parents, reading your first sentence, or your teacher, reading your first book report.
I’m talking about being published – having something you wrote deemed worthy by whatever powers that be for viewing by a mass (or not so mass) audience. It could have been an acceptance of an article for a high school newspaper. It could have been a letter to the editor. A submission to an essay contest. An article or research study for a magazine. Or, even a poem or story.
The opportunity to have people read what you’ve written is not something that we’ve lost.
But for the millions of people entering the blogosphere each day, it’s less about being “chosen” to contribute and more about jumping in brain first. With the introduction of interactive technologies and social networking, the gatekeeper has become secondary to the gate. And though some bloggers are sought after by an organization for their knowledge, experience or popularity, the vast majority of those blogging weren’t invited to do so.
Contribute to an HR blog – or, create your own.
Chances are, as an HR professional, you’ve accumulated expertise and knowledge of your specialty that would interest those in the field. Whether your focus is recruiting, compensation and benefits, diversity, technology or employee relations, the way you relate what you know can create quite a following for the blog you choose to create or affiliate yourself with (and, plenty of free exposure for yourself and/or your employer). In addition, you can reach out to potential candidates and communicate more regularly – or on a more conversational level – with those in your own organization.
You don’t need an English degree to blog. You don’t even need to be dressed (but that’s a whole ‘nother post). What you do need is: · The desire to write and keep on writing about something you know or love
· An audience that’s willing to read your posts (in large numbers or on a fairly regular basis)
· Word of mouth – or really, word of click
· A plan for your blog and guidelines for keeping it fresh
Alstin Communications can help you with the real-time potential of Web 2.0. From naming your blog and setting it up to strategies for making it a destination people visit and share with others, our “a-team” has the experience and talent to turn a basic web log into a proactive, thought-provoking way to talk with – and listen to – the world of people you know and those you have yet to meet.
By the looks of this blog, you might think we over here at Alstin eat, breathe and sleep all that is recruitment and retention. Every so often we’ll stray from the HR talk and bring you more on some of our favorite things, places and activities that also populate our daily lives.
Next time you’re in town – for work or to escape it -
the Schuylkill Banks deserves an hour of your time.
Despite Philadelphia’s rank as the second-largest city on the East Coast, it’s home to a surprising number of parks and trails. One, the Schulylkill Banks, is a metropolitan version of a boardwalk. Though the wakes caused by the river’s many sculls can’t rival those made by the speedboats racing down the New Jersey shoreline, I find running along the river as stimulating (and relaxing) as I do the Atlantic Ocean.
Doublechecking my spelling on www.schuylkillbanks.org, I found more than I expected about The Banks, including a breath-defying definition of what has become my favorite Philly fitness trail: “Philadelphia’s newest riverfront destination, Schuylkill Banks is home to greenways, parks, docks, the nation’s leading educational institutions, award-winning residential developments and active industrial sites that are making way for livable spaces.” Turns out, there are kayak and river tours, outdoor movies, and a bunch of construction as the Schuylkill River Development Corporation Destination begins a flurry of “Priority Projects” that will enhance the trail’s appearance and make it more accessible to surrounding sections of the city.
Here’s my running tour of some of “The Banks” most interesting sites.
My usual run begins just after 7am outside my gym (VigorWorks on 13th & Walnut). I head up Walnut on the sidewalk for about eight blocks, jog down the winding staircase at 22nd and onto the paved path, and join a steady stream of runners, bikers (Spandexed exercisers and suited commuters), walkers, and doggy Moms and Dads making their way along the picturesque path. Here, I come across my favorite running partners – the whales that are part of the series of huge building murals done by Wyland. From there, I head through a short series of underpasses which seem to be perpetually under construction and are a great place for a short sprint. Next is the only negative of The Banks – the Trash Train. There’s a train that travels along the tracks next to the path transporting (you guessed it) trash that is quite fragrant on the days I am unlucky enough to pass it. Moving past the tracks I head up a slight incline and come upon an empty area to my right that, according to a sign that’s been there forever, is supposed to become a skatepark. I’m now a stone’s throw from the Art Museum and ready to enter an older underpass while watching out for bikers who use it as a chute of sorts (can’t blame them…it seems fast and fun). Emerging and looking to up to the right, I see the gorgeous new hillside pathways with the iron railings that leads up to picture-perfect gazebos. To the left is the fountain just before the historic WaterWorks location – now a restaurant with views to dine for. This is the part of the path that leads to the start of Boathouse Row. Though this section gets a bit busier, the flow of fine young crew team members, more mature but impressively active recreational rowers (who I’m sure at one point were fine young crew team members themselves), commuters and dog walkers give each other just enough space. Though my 28 year old brain urges me to keep going, my 39 year old body usually reminds me that I still have to run back. I spy my usual turnaround point – the Viking, tap him on the foot, take a deep breath and make my way back along The Banks, happy with the time I’ve deposited.
… don’t EVER pick up a baseball bat unless a grown-up hands one to you.
It was my opening speech to the small circle of five- and six-year old girls I am coaching this year. Yes, I had a speech. As a copywriter, communicating exactly what you want your audience to understand is key. As a coach, ensuring a concussion-free season is smart. And as much as my husband would disagree, typing up a three-page speech for t-ball players is not over thinking it.
It’s about having a plan, and plans keep me from going crazy.
In an ad agency environment, chaos is something most creatives thrive on. With the help of organized management, good account execs, and a responsive billing department, even the busiest day isn’t heart attack inducing. It’s stimulating. As much as a handful of last-minute requests or edits can stress one’s system, I actually work best when things get crazy. But I always have a to-do list.
Even when it comes to t-ball.
With an economic slow-down in progress, I figured missing a few hours in the afternoon one day a week wouldn’t kill my career. So I volunteered to be Assistant Coach for my daughter Jamie’s t-ball team. Problem was, they didn’t need an Assistant Coach. They needed a Head Coach. Being there for my daughter was something I definitely didn’t need to be convinced of. – I just wasn’t sure how it would work out in terms of balancing the coaching with working.
Thankfully, Mother Nature intervened. With a ton of rain in April and early May, our practices and games were canceled left and right. And rather than getting nervous about being a clueless coach, I got a chance to come up with a plan.
Despite that plan, and the three-page speech, I found little league wasn’t so much a lesson in playing a game, but partnering with others. It was like work, only with much more adorable clients.
What do work and little league have in common? Here’s what I’ve learned so far:
#1 – Planning is great, but be ready to improvise.
Even with the best processes in place, things can surprise you. Be prepared, but be flexible and positive about change.
#2 – It’s up to you to make things happen.
A lot of people complain that work or life isn’t fair. But if you go after what you want, you have a much better chance of getting it than you do by waiting for it.
#3 – A little encouragement goes a long way.
Hard work and a good attitude should be a universal law, but it’s not. By recognizing individual effort and enthusiasm, you show you care just as much about making the ride fun as you do the final destination.
Turns out the three page speech was a bit overzealous – running the bases at the end of each game is the girls’ favorite part of t-ball – but considering we’re still concussion-free (knock on any wooden bats you may have), I’d say it did its job.
Research by Gartner reports that more than 25% of the content that workers view each day will be dominated by pictures, video or audio by 2013.
Sound futuristic? It’s just four years away.
Embracing the popularity and power of new media is about more than throwing together a video and posting it on YouTube. It’s thinking about who you’re targeting, the message you want to get across, the idea that will deliver that message in the most memorable way, and which sites (your Career site may or may not be part of the mix) will get you the traffic you want.
It may seem like a lot to wrap your head around. But by collaborating with some of the best multimedia minds out there, creating talked-about audio and video is as simple, affordable – and dare we say fun? – as it is smart.
Alstin Communication’s exclusive innerviews solution makes it easy and affordable to add multimedia to your message. From script ideas and production to final editing and content delivery options, innerviews gives you an essential tool to introduce your organization’s true “self” to a world of curious potential applicants.
Alstin is partnering with Peter Kuhn Creative Visuals (PKCV), an award-winning media development house, and we wanted to bring you a bit more about his company’s shared philosophy for creating talked-about multimedia solutions for recruitment and retention. Q&A with Peter Kuhn
AC:What excites you most about what’s going on with the web? PK: It’s the growth potential and the unbelievable traffic flow you can get with something when you take it viral. PKCV has a project right now with a big name company – a training video. How many people line up to see a training video? We built a trailer for it, put it up on YouTube, and emailed it out to certain people in their industry – the increased traffic on the client’s website was completely unpredictable. Usually, people gloss over training and HR pieces, but the client has people calling their rep and saying, “We’ve got to get a copy of this training video.” And the thing wasn’t even done yet!
AC: What’s the key to all the great new media development you’ve done? PK: We pre-interview. There are preconceived notions about any job in any industry, and breaking stereotypes requires talking to a lot of people before we even get started filming or recording. On a typical shoot, we might interview two or three dozen people, but it’s quite possible only half will make the final cut. We choose the interviews with the answers that have the most heart.
AC: How does brainstorming for a script begin? PK: Once the project is greenlighted, we sit down with the client and really get to understand them, their environment and their opportunities. By getting to know them and getting familiar with what they do and where they do it, we determine what they want to highlight and what we want to show. I get to meet a lot of great, diverse people. From presidents of Fortune 500 companies to somebody just starting out on the job, everyone has a story to tell and if you listen to them, there’s a real strong chance you’re going to learn something.
AC: Which of your services are you seeing the most demand for right now? PK: The market is definitely trending toward online. The old web video/camcorder standard has changed. The web is a viable channel of distribution and right now, it’s about where it’s going, taking viral and the web more seriously from a business standpoint, and putting a quality product out there. Videos on homepages, personalized messages, what’s new and great – we’re seeing a lot of that now. What’s going to make a better impression: something flat and static, or a face-to-face, personalized look at the opportunity and the organization that candidates check out from the comfort of wherever they are?
Learn more about Alstin’s innerviews (cost-effective and results-driven) solution by emailing us today: blog@alstin.com.
I last blogged about the US Department of Labor’s “Tools for America’s Job Seekers Challenge”. In an effort to learn more about — and then publicize — the best FREE online tools for a variety of job-search related research, the government called on the public to check out more than 600 sites and then vote on them. Vote they* did! Nearly 16,000 registered to rank the submitted sites over a two week period in January. Said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, “My thanks go out to the businesses and organizations that submitted their tools for evaluation, and to the members of the public who offered their input. We called on the public to let us know what they want out of online job tools, and they have responded in great numbers. In the process, we also created a great resource for job seekers.” The votes have been tallied and the top-ranking tools are now posted.
In an effort to educate more job seekers about the array of online job search tools available to them, the 
When I was offered an Account Executive position at what was then Alstin Advertising, I was thrilled. Not only was I escaping winter in Ocean City, NJ (my parents had just moved there and I was living with them until I landed my “dream job”) — I loved the thought of working for an ad agency in Center City, Philadelphia.
I admit it: I still own a daily planner. With paper pages. Years ago, my husband tried to push me into reality with a PalmPilot. It looked simple enough, and I really liked the cute pen that came with it, but I returned it. My explanation was the same as the one he gave me when I got him a down comforter before we were married: “I like what I have now.”
Getting noticed on the ‘net is about more than what you say. It’s also what you show.
Branding was always big. We just didn’t always have a name for it. Brand familiarity started with a typeface a company used. Logos came along. Then advertisements worked to define products, services or — in the case of recruitment advertising — jobs. Whether a brand was big/flashy, clever/cool, or corporate/simple, it was recognizable because you saw it in a magazine or in the newspaper.
I, for one, am sad to see the scratch-off lottery card-powered ERPs go. Alstin was the first to apply them to Employee Referral Programs — we even won a Creative Excellence Award for the original ERP we used them for. Those addictive little gold spaces revealed treasures to be coveted (usually a pen, water bottle, or a stress ball…remember those?). They added excitement to the referral process and were part of the movement that believed employees should be rewarded not only for a successfully hired candidate, but for going to the trouble of reaching out in the first place.
There was a time when LinkedIn was viewed as an electronic version of the Rolodex — the new way to collect the most pertinent vitals about your co-workers, clients and friends in a more high-profile place. Sure, it was a website, but it seemed to be more about finding out who really liked andor respected you than it was about receiving business-generating leads or bona fide job offers.
Then the bubble burst. Make that many bubbles. Over the last few years, announcements of economic indicators have been like a barrage of mini-shots of Alka Seltzer hitting our proverbial upset stomachs. Suddenly, LinkedIn seemed less like a grown-up MySpace page and more like a life-saving ring. You not only looked to your Network for possible job leads, but, as sweet sailing got a bit rocky, you went to those who were Linked for personal Recommendations — and the resulting much-needed ego-boosts. Because let’s face it: no matter how good you are, no matter how great a job you know you’ve done, when you’re laid off, you begin to question the reality you’ve been living. You feel awful. And you wonder, “Am I as good as I thought I was? What am I best at? What words would people who knew me use to describe me?”
But for the millions of people entering the blogosphere each day, it’s less about being “chosen” to contribute and more about jumping in brain first. With the introduction of interactive technologies and social networking, the gatekeeper has become secondary to the gate. And though some bloggers are sought after by an organization for their knowledge, experience or popularity, the vast majority of those blogging weren’t invited to do so.
Here’s my running tour of some of “The Banks” most interesting sites.
It was my opening speech to the small circle of five- and six-year old girls I am coaching this year. Yes, I had a speech. As a copywriter, communicating exactly what you want your audience to understand is key. As a coach, ensuring a concussion-free season is smart. And as much as my husband would disagree, typing up a three-page speech for t-ball players is not over thinking it.
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