Let me start by coming clean: I still know all the words to ‘80′s rap and dance songs; I still style my hair a little too high on top; I still have CDs. So it’s probably no surprise that until three days ago, my phone of choice was a flip phone.

Before you shudder at the thought of such an archaic device, realize the sentimentality: my first phone was a flip phone THAT I GOT AT AGE 30 as a gift from my husband Rob because I was pregnant with my first child.

Fast forward 12 years: the “baby” now stands just about eye-to-eye with me and my third flip phone — I kept trading up for swankier models (the most expensive one being $9.99) — was due for an upgrade.

“I could get one of the those texting phones where the keypad slides out,” I told my husband.

“You need a smartphone,” he intoned for no less than the fortieth time.

“I don’t NEED a smartphone. It’s a toy. It’s too much money every month. And there’s nothing it has that would help me in my daily life.”

“What about the GPS?” he asked.

“That’s what gas station attendants are for…or I can call you.”

“So you can have me look at my phone’s GPS?”

“Exactly!”

And since I’m baring all, I should also admit that I still have what I call a Life Planner — one of those leather-bound day planners with the calendar pages, and the address book, and the to-do list inserts. It even has sleeves for pictures…yeaaaah…basically everything a smartphone has.

Bulky size aside, I *love* my Life Planner, its leathery smell and the act of jotting things down with a pen. It’s been with me since college! Back then, I almost declined an invitation to a Beef & Beer in the hometown of two new friends because, I told them as I studied my trusty binder, “I need to plan my life” (I was considering transferring to another school).

“Plan your life next weekend,” they retorted.

So knowing what is going on, or what may be going on, has always been important to me. That’s when the whole no-instant-access-to-email thing started to bug me. Though I have to admit I loved using the “oh, my phone doesn’t have email” excuse when fellow PTO members tried to contact me at 10:30 at night, I realized I was missing out. And I do not like to miss out.

From last minute “stop here and meet us on the way home” emails to “did you know this client needed this by 5pm?” communiques, I was beginning to understand that a smart phone could, occasionally, be smart to have.

My husband presented my early Christmas present — an iPhone 5 — to me this past Sunday, and my kids shouted out with glee, “FINALLY! Mom has an iPhone!” They immediately ripped the gift from my hands and began showing me the ropes, setting my background (currently, a close-up shot of my daughter’s crazy black and white graffiti leggins), and instructing me on what apps I definitely had to have (they both have an iTouch…used for games, pictures, and music but not the Internet). They invited me to build imaginary worlds with them in Minecraft. And my daughter even set an appointment — with a reminder Alert — with me: “Monday 7:00pm: Jamie showing mom how to use phone.”

With all my exposure to friends who have had smart phones for years when I didn’t, I am heading into the new year with three main guidelines that I really hope to stick to:

1. Don’t text or check email while you’re meeting up with someone (unless you truly believe your children are setting the house on fire)

2. Call people more than you text them – LOLs are never as great as hearing a real, live laugh

3. View Messages, Facebook, and Email no more than 3 times a day

Realistic? You’ll have to let me know…I could be kidding iSelf.

I was happy to have the phone last night when I learned that a friend — one of the same ones who urged me to drink beer and meet boys rather than plan my life 24 years ago — was in the hospital. I messaged her quickly and was relieved to find out she was fine.

I would have Facetimed her, but it was late and unlike Jane Jetson, I did not have a “pretty face for talking on the videophone mask” handy.

But there’s always next Christmas.

I didn’t realize until I visited an area with no traffic issues that “drive time” radio isn’t something every living being relies on to stay sane. Drive time radio advertising buys reach people in the morning and afternoon hours during which listeners in a given area are commuting. Generally, it is considered to be from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Ask anyone who commutes by car to or from Philly what the first thing they do when they sit down in the driver’s seat is and chances are “turn to KYW” comes before “put on my seatbelt.”

It’s a station that’s been around since 1965, launching the “All News, All the Time” format. Since then, KYW Newsradio has become the news source for more than 1.5 million weekly listeners in the Delaware Valley. That’s more than any other AM or FM station in the Philadelphia area.

Knowing whether the Schuylkill (the road, not the river) —  pronounced “skoo-kul” by those who drink “wooder” — is a parking lot or moving along at an acceptable pace is imperative whether you’re trying to pick up some time or a client at the airport. KYW is popular on weekends too — providing traffic conditions for those escaping the hot, humid city for the cool breezes of South Jersey shoreline communities.

But the public service provided by KYW is not limited to defusing potential road rage situations.

What I remember most about KYW is that it was music to my ears, with no music at all, because the station provided School Closing Codes when big winter storms hit.

To this day I can rattle off my hometown of Bensalem’s school closing number, no problem: 758! Upon waking and seeing snow, thousands of kids in Pennsylvania’s many school districts listened with rapt attention to their bedside alarm clock/radios. I was one of them. It was the drill in the winter: see snow, turn on KYW, and DO NOT LET ANYONE TALK when they get to the 750′s! I imagine I’d have the same reaction to winning the lottery today that I did to hear the magical 758 number in 7^th grade. “752, 755, 758…” and bedlam! Jumping on the bed would commence post haste — while today I would be grateful to crawl back into bed — along with squeals of delight and a rushed search for the plastic wrap that would help me get my feet into my black rubber boots.

Even today, though my reaction has changed from a cheer to a groan when my kids’ school closing number is read — and to be honest, most of the time we get an email from the district on our phones before we even make it to the radio — I count on the AM ally for news that makes or breaks my day.

Back when I was an Account Executive at Alstin, I couldn’t understand why any client would resist adding KYW to their media buy. It gives power to the people — people most advertisers and recruiters want to reach. Though my kids’ ask me to change from AM to satellite radio (before the “bad news” comes on) even they know that much like plastic wrap on a wool sock, things go more smoothly when you’re tuned into the world around you.

Statisticbrain.com reported on the factors that companies consider when they are choosing an advertising agency. At the top of the list? Agency/specialty type (duh), timely approach by an agency (if only we had a crystal ball!), advice/recommendation, and…the quality and content of the agency website.

(And to think, all this time we figured it was our sparkling personalities!)

Considering the timing of the re-launch of Alstin’s website — just a few weeks away — we are pretty excited that 29% of companies think a cool website is a big deal.

The thing with re-doing/re-vamping/re-thinking a website is that it involves virtually every department. Every group has its own priorities, every manager his/her own view of what is crucial, and every employee a list of what they like and don’t like when visiting a site.

Feedback is great, but in some instances, it can choke the process. That’s why a clear creative vision is so important. Once the strategy (“here is what we want to get across to clients/prospective clients”) is set, the real fun begins…ie: thinking about what your site will look like and, more important, how it makes visitors feel about it/you.

Alstin’s Creative Services and management team has been sweating over our site’s shape, content, visuals, and bells and whistles for quite some time. Now, with the re-launch just around the corner, we thought we’d give you a taste of what we have up our sleeves.

Our “power of done” dog (nope, he/she doesn’t have a name yet…more on that in a future blog post!) is near and dear to our hearts. The dog was born when we needed to run an ad in a program guide — one that many other agencies would be part of. We wanted to separate ourselves by drawing attention to our size (smaller), which enables us to deliver highly personalized attention (hugely important). The pooch was a stock photo, but it called to us like no other ever has. The studded collar on such a diminutive dog said it all, but the tagline supporting our new best friend, “Ferocious attention to service” added bite.

The dog will be featured prominently on our new site, with nods (wags?) to him throughout.

One area — “Wanna go for a walk?” — will take visitors on a video tour of the Philadelphia neighborhoods our employees like best. The first “Alstin Walk” features yours truly, and was a lot of fun to make.

Check it out now …

… and keep your ears perked for news about the official re-launch of www.alstin.com 

Disclaimer: I had to submit this blog post to my bosses before it appeared online. Hopefully they saw the title and realized I am only kidding. Kinda.

I’ve written in the past about loving my job, but sometimes, a position description comes across my desk/through my inbox that I can’t help being tempted by. The AP Reading represents just such an instance. It’s a “Scoring Job Opportunity” and the official title is “AP Reader,” and I thought it sounded cool before I even knew what it was.

Here’s the deal, as explained by The College Board (they partner with our client Educational Testing Service) each June, college faculty and Advanced Placement (AP) teachers from around the world gather in a few different U.S. regions to evaluate and score the free-response sections — essays, translations, problems, oral responses — of the annual AP Exams. Led by a Chief Reader, a college professor responsible for ensuring that AP scoring reflects college-level achievement and established rubrics, more than 11,000 teachers and college faculty members participated in the 2012 Reading.

Okay, so here’s the problem.

I’m not faculty. Or a teacher. I briefly majored in Elementary Education, but ran screaming from the on-site elementary school at my alma mater when I saw real-life kindergarteners in action. I changed my major to Communications/Journalism the next day.

Another problem.

Even if I was a teacher, the AP Reading looks for distinguished faculty and AP teachers with experience in specific subjects. Last year, they needed educators with backgrounds in Physics and Chinese Language and Culture. Without a doubt, my disappointing Algebra 1 transcripts and ability to maneuver chopsticks would have left me lacking.

But qualifications aside, the AP Reading sounds like a writer’s (or reader’s) version of Woodstock. Peace, love, and lots and lots of student writing samples to soak in. I can almost feel the brainpower in the room. Overhear the conversations about allusions and rhetoric. And sense the impact the AP Readers are having on college students’ futures.

Quite a few elevated steps from a book club, yes?

Plus, there are perks. AP Readers receive an honorarium (“a payment for a service on which custom or propriety forbids a price to be set”…AKA, a good bit of moola) and travel expenses, lodging, and meals are covered. In addition — if some educators care more about their professional development than food, fun and finances than I do — secondary school Readers can receive certificates rewarding professional development hours and continuing education units for their participation.

In 2013, the AP Reading sites will include: Cincinnati, OH; Kansas City, MO; Louisville, KY; and Salt Lake City, UT. Sure, Vegas would have been fun too, but I’m willing to bet that nearly all the educators who become AP Readers take their job way too seriously to run to the tables on their lunch hour. In fact, I learned that the lunch break is actually when most of the participants chat and connect with the other educators. Talk about a high-brow happy hour!

I am blown away by the importance of the job and how interesting it must be from the educator standpoint. I picture eager-to-rank students from all over the globe in stark, silent testing rooms with various degrees of comfort weighing the impact of each and every word they write…only to wait and wonder, “Who will be reading this?” And, “Will they like it?”

Sadly, I won’t be part of the AP Reading. This year or any other.

But for those looking to make a real difference — and to rub elbows and cerebrum with peers who care just as much about the job, and futures, at hand — it’s a must-Read.

Good things come to those who…create!

Alstin Communications is the proud recipient of four (4) Creative Excellence Awards (CEAs).

The annual awards, presented by ERE Media, Inc., honor the best recruitment advertising campaigns of 2012.

Click on the links to check out Alstin’s winning work — and the clients who make doing what we do so rewarding.

From a top-finish for an internal wellness initiative and a team-boosting ERP flyer to a beefed up social media presence and an eye-opening “get to know us” video, these wins are proof that no matter what Alstin tackles, our clients always end up on top.

FIRST PLACE
Employee/Internal Communications
Retention Program
Temple University Health System, Wellness Initiative

SECOND PLACE
Self Promotion
Interactive Media
Genesis HealthCare, Welcome Video

THIRD PLACE
Employee/Internal Communications
Referral Program (Single or Multiple Medium)
Ascensus, Flyer

THIRD PLACE
Special Award
Recruitment Advertising Effectiveness
Christiana Care Health System, Facebook Page

Congratulations to the HR professionals who partnered with Alstin’s management team, graphic designers, copywriters, and account executives for these exciting wins!

More than three-quarters of employees who responded to a recent World of Work study published by Randstad, an Atlanta-based employment services firm, said feeling valued was the most important factor for happiness at work. And that was out of more than a dozen options!

If you’re an employee, do you feel like you’re filling a key role? Or a chair?

If you’re in HR, does employee acknowledgment come only in the form of raises and reviews? Or do you have a formal, well-communicated recognition program in place?

People crave appreciation. Whether it’s a few extra seconds that a manager looks someone in the eye and says, “Hey, that was a really great job. Thanks for being someone I can always rely on…” or a gift given for achieving results or adhering to the organization’s mission, showing people that they’re valued goes a long way.

A 2012 SHRM/Globoforce survey revealed the growing impact of recognition programs on performance management — showing that more than half of companies with recognition programs also observe higher levels of employee engagement, retention, and productivity.

What’s not to love, right?!

Well, be prepared to do some work getting the program rolling.

From determining the types and levels of recognition, deciding when awards happen (all the time? once a quarter? once a year?), who does the awarding (CEO? HR? management?) and finding budget dollars and space on your Careers webpage for compelling and understandable program information, you’ll soon recognize (haha) that showing your love means investing time, energy and money. And if the program is your idea — something new that you’re looking to start — there’s also the job of convincing organizational leaders that employee recognition is about more than a smile and a hello near the water cooler.

Best Practices for employee recognition include making it:

• timely
• specific
• sincere
• individual
• personal
• proportional

But in most cases, as this video proves, interpretative dance probably isn’t going to cut it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Though Alstin Communications is about as far from a corporate environment as you can get, the agency has always made saying thanks part of our culture. There’s the much-loved (and in some cases, when you’re trying to resist chocolate — DREADED) candy jar, Bagel Fridays (just because it was Friday) and my favorite: monthly employee chair massages. Though some niceties go by the wayside when the economy does, it’s often little things that matter the most. One day, when some members of our team were looking to get together for a blow-off-some-steam happy hour, the president of the agency got wind of the email planning and gave us his credit card to use at our discretion. More recently, an AE heard about Sundae Wednesdays — an employee favorite from the mid-90′s — asked about it, and it’s being brought back.

Just like neon, good things are meant to return.

But by far, the best recognition at Alstin costs absolutely nothing and comes from direct supervisors. I can’t count the number of times I’ve gotten an extra email from our VP of Operations and our VP of Creative Services saying, “Hey, thanks. I really appreciate you turning that around so quickly.” In terms of really making my day, my favorite — besides chocolate — is when an AE or a manager coming back from a creative presentation passes along client kudos about our work.

So the next time people you work with do something that makes you want to give a fist-bump, be sure to bump the love right back. Just please…no dancing.

Sometimes, when you’ve known someone — or, some agency — for a long time, you think you know everything about them. That’s why it might surprise some of our recruitment clients (heads of human resources departments) to learn that Alstin Communications is deliciously diverse when it comes to our projects.

Today’s featured special? plumsteadvilleinn.com

The destruction
The Plumsteadville Inn in Pipersville, PA had seen much better days. After all, the original tavern and 8-room guest house had been around since 1751. Located on Old Dyer Road — now Route 611— it was a welcome sight to tired visitors traveling by stagecoach between Philadelphia and Easton. Additions had been constructed then torn down, makeshift repairs had been made, and for decades, a lot had gone untouched. New owners Angelo and Denise Evangelista knew they had a lot of work ahead of them when they bought the historic property, but starting from scratch is never easy.

The calls for help
Though contractors provided the most immediate help, the Evangelistas knew the importance of setting a solid foundation for advertising and marketing the Inn was also crucial. They contacted the local media to let them know “the Plum” would live again. They reached out to interior designers to select color palettes, fixtures, and utensils that fit and helped to build upon the Inn’s history. And, they got in touch with Mike Schluth, Alstin’s President and Owner.

Wheels were turning
Things were moving along at the Inn. Plumbing was replaced, floors redone, and a beautiful piano restored. At Alstin, the creative wheels were turning. Though the bulk of our Creative Services’ teams employer branding projects are always interesting, getting our hands on some restaurant work was a fun change. While fashioning a logo for a menu, writing copy that would draw hungry locals, and taking pictures of mouthwatering food, a website was taking shape, and our appetites for construction were hearty.

Bright ideas
Jay Scheuerle, our Art Director, thought back to stagecoach days, inspected photographs of the original inn and its beautiful windows, and got a little lost in the past. Then, he created a logo that made everything old new again. I also loved playing with old fashioned phrases and seeing where they would fit generations later (“Hear ye, hear ye!”).

And our VP of Creative Services, Patty Cara, went — trusty camera in hand — to capture the food that would breathe new life into the Inn’s marketing. The results are stunning and incredibly tempting. After all, you can’t just take a picture of that gorgeously glimmering homemade bread pudding and just leave it there…

Something for everyone
Turning a shuttered, dilapidating old building into a vibrant meeting place was no easy task. But with the commitment and passion of the Evangelistas — and the support of neighbors who missed having a home away from home to meet and eat with friends — the Plumsteadville Inn lives on. And for a 261-year old who’s had some work done, she looks wonderful. The cozy rustic fireplaces are still there, but somehow, the state-of-the-art flat screen TVs work, too. The live music sounds great, and so does the extensive wine list. And with “Burgers & Beer, Lobster & Cheer”, there really is something for everyone. Check out the website to see for yourself. From detailed Menu and About Us pages to Reviews and Reservations, it’s a delicious place to spend your lunch break!

Though Angelo and Denise may disagree, we think the Plum’s happiest customers are the ones who work at Alstin — creative types with a constant hankering for stimulating projects.

Aside from picking the winner of the Final Four three weeks in advance (nope, I didn’t, though I was the leader in my husband’s mainly male office pool for about a week…) there isn’t a much sweeter victory than landing a new client.

There are four basic ways agencies in our industry obtain new business:

• the traditional RFP process — a great “win” because you’re going up against so many other agencies and really have a chance to spell out and show what you do best
• a connection who used to work somewhere else takes a new head HR job and brings us with them because they know/like us
• cold calls — someone happens to be online looking for an agency like Alstin (and our search engine optimization efforts pay off) and/or we reach out to someone we’d like to work with
• word of mouth — people in HR talk, and luckily, when they talk about us, they usually say great things

No matter how we get additional business, a new client (regardless of size, stature or budget) is a new start for a communications firm. There’s an opportunity to help an organization attract better people — which in turn, will help them do their job as an organization better — and to jump headfirst into tweaking or re-creating the organization’s employer marketing message.

Branding is the part of a new relationship that I, as Creative Manager, love the most. The dating phase is over, we’ve piqued their interest, and now, it’s time to really getting to know them. We find what pushes their buttons — and those of their target audience — and work to become their “better half”.

There’s only one hitch.

For reasons of confidentiality and competitive strategy, we are occasionally asked to NOT let the world know that we are working with said (umm…unsaid?) company at the get-go. “What?! We can’t show you off? We can’t even brag about you over happy hour?”

Here at Alstin, we do take solace in knowing that despite the hush-hush nature of our new relationship, our neurons are aglow coming up with exciting new creative for our partner. It happened just last week, and we’re so thrilled to be working with  ____________ that our relative anonymity seems more romantic than it does a buzz kill.

So the next time you see one of our employees walking around with a smirk, aglow with the satisfaction gained from beginning a new relationship, don’t ask what he/she looks so happy about. Because if we told you, we’d have to kill you.

I have not one memory of a high school guidance counselor or college advisor using the phrase “flexible schedule” when purporting to help me figure out — between the ages of 17 and 21 —  plans for the next 40 years of my life as a wage earner. They used phrases like, “salary range,” “benefits package,” “room to advance,” and “stability.”

Though those were are all very historically important factors to mull over, the thing that I failed to take into consideration at the time was that the counselors and advisors I talked to were men.

Sure, I wanted the same advice they would give a guy. I wanted the same opportunities for success. I wanted a career that would give me security and a steadily rising paycheck. But a little real-world advice from a woman — especially one who was also a mother — may have changed my outlook on professional deal-breakers and deal-makers.

My mom and dad gave me advice, too. While my mom pushed the “do what you enjoy” mindset — one I wholeheartedly agree with, even if my daughter decides she wants to be a professional face painter (they do make a killing at kids’ birthday parties you know…), my dad extolled the virtues of those career planning guides that predicted what the need for a certain job might be in 10 or 20 years. Personal fulfillment and future growth are both are excellent considerations for deciding what you will do with your life. For many, choosing to stay at home, raise children, and run a household can be a dream job or a financial necessity. For others, working full time is what they must do to support a family and/or reach their professional goals.

But the thing no one ever told me was this:

Flexible schedules rock.

Ask any nurse, physical, occupational or speech therapist the reason they chose healthcare. I’m sure personal fulfillment and job security had a lot to do with it. But I also bet many saw the rates for weekend, night and per diem schedules (part time in most people’s minds), and thought, “THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about!” Today, the flexible schedule isn’t limited to hourly healthcare professionals. Any pediatrician, lawyer or accountant who’s had a half dozen years of professional success can opt to go “part time” or have an “abbreviated workweek” and still make a very comfortable living.

And here’s the most important part: they’re LIVING. As in, finding time for other things in life besides going to work. They’re the people who have the freedom to really spend time with their families and friends, to coach and volunteer, to attend concerts and meetings, pick up a hobby, and to get away now and then without being attached to an electronic device. They don’t do it all — because often, part time roles mean doing even more in less time both at home and at work — but they have more opportunities to enjoy it all.

At Alstin Communications, selling what job seekers want to hear is part of our job. Making employers and work environments look as appealing as possible is our specialty. As a copywriter, when I work on a posting or ad recruiting candidates for a full time, high-pressure, huge responsibility, head-honcho kind of role, I do it. But when a description comes across my desk talking about flexibility, choosing your own schedule, and the now overused but so crucial “work/life balance” — I perk up and think, “Now this is a job someone is going to be glad they went after.”

The successful candidate may never be honored by business magazines. May never have his or her own office. There probably won’t be huge dollar signs in his or her stock portfolio.

But even if they’re not bringing home the biggest piece of the proverbial financial pie, they may have something else — something that’s tough to measure but worth its weight in gold: peace of mind.

Want to take a look at how Alstin markets jobs with flexible schedules?

My kids brought their most recent report cards home last week.

Altogether, a great showing. My daughter got straight A’s but was less than stellar in the “Learning Related/Self-Directed Learning” categories. This included, but was not limited to:

follows verbal directions; follows classroom routines; demonstrates organizational skills; maintains attention.

What was I saying? Oh, yes. The social skills side of school was where she fell a little short. But when you see great grades, it’s tough to take that other side of the student progress report too seriously. She scored well, and that’s what counts to schools, so what more do you need to know?

My son got three A’s and two B’s and shined in every learning category except maintains attention and contributes to classroom discussions. But what my husband and I loved was that this marking period, he barely even showed us his homework. Never told us — or wrote down — when he had a test. Hardly ever asked for help, unless some tougher math had him down (Dad is a CPA so, yes, I defer anything past 4^th-grade math to him). He did what he did on his own, without a whole lot of pressure or review on our part beyond the normal, “Hey bud, do your best work today.” And, “Take your time with stuff.”

Considering today’s version of the report card got me thinking about RFPs. Requests for Proposals are, at least from our agency’s viewpoint, never an envelope or email a recipient jumps for joy over. Sure, it can mean new business. An influx of potentially great projects. And (CHING CHING) more billings. But the thing about an RFP — defined as, “An invitation for providers of a product or service to bid on the right to supply that product or service to the individual or entity that issued the RFP.” — is that it never tells the whole story. Its answers have probably, at least in part, been recycled. And we’re all going to try our best to tell the “individual or entity” what they want to hear.

Two things I don’t like about this definition I just cited…

#1 – “invitation”, to me, brings to mind carefree times and, usually, alcohol. No RFP I’ve ever been part of has ever included either.

#2 – The phrase “to bid on the right to supply that product or service” is off-base because a.) bidding isn’t really bidding when you don’t know what others “invited” to the fun are bidding, and b.) supplying our service — creative thinking, strategic solutions, and service — isn’t really a right. It’s kind of an honor, but definitely not a right. It’s really more about our ability to meet the expectations of the inviter. (Is inviter a word? I don’t think so because I keep getting a red line whenever I type it. Sorry. Maintaining attention now.) If we don’t perform as expected, we really have no “rights” as a supplier — we’re shown the door, regardless of how well-written and substantiated our RFP response was.

Which brings me to my biggest gripe about the RFP: it’s a ton of work. Not that we mind work, but RFPs can be daunting in size and in scope, especially since many of them are not written by the people you’ll actually be reporting to. Typically, an RFP is put together by the Purchasing Department. And, pardon any unintended aspersions cast at the Purchasing industry, but they really don’t care too much about what we do. They just want 43 answers to the questions on their checklist. We’ve received some RFPs that looked as though they were intended for tire suppliers. For example, “Please define the total quantity of radial tires you would be able to provide in last minute/’rush’ situations.” But they cut “radial tires” and replace it with “innovative recruitment ideas”.

But don’t get me wrong. I’m not completely against RFPs. Alstin has won quite a few of them over the past few years — even against much larger, much more well-known firms. (Insert fist pump here.) They do allow the organization requesting information to do a sort of side by side comparison of breadth of services offered. They do work to level the playing field and, if you do an accurate job of representing yourself, help you win business you might not have otherwise had access to. They, at the very least, let the individual or entity make fun of people for making typos.

But the real problem is that what we’re able to offer in list format — even with excellent full color samples — isn’t even close to definitive when it comes to truly explaining the competitive differences that make our agency best suited to win the business.

My daughter’s report card listed that she’s Progressing (P) at “listening without interrupting”. But in the case of discussing alternatives and brainstorming creative ideas, listening WHILE interrupting is when some of the best work comes about. Do I really want her to get a “Demonstrates Consistently” (DC) in that area? Sure, she’ll probably replace that “P” with a “DC” by the end of the year, and on paper, that looks great — especially, eventually, on a college application. But what does it really mean? What does it really sacrifice?

RFPs are a valuable tool for beginning the process of getting to know a group of individuals you may choose to work with. But it’s just one of many, and maybe not the most telling. Give us a test project and compare our ideas to what our competitors come up with. Or, try our recommendations out for three months and compare your numbers to those from the three months prior. Talk to us face to face — because sometimes, gut feelings are the most accurate “report” you can get.

Oh, and if we do surprise you with a great RFP response, take us out for ice cream.

Because along with winning a million dollar account, nothing’s better than someone taking you out for ice cream. Even if you’re older than eight.

This year’s Creative Excellence Awards show that Alstin Communications is continuing its winning creative ways.

Congratulations to our graphic designers, copywriters, account executives, administration — and of course, the clients — who make it possible for us to be one of the top dogs.

 Our 2011 Award Winners

1st PLACE

Non-Print Advertising/Promotions (Video/Film, Movie Slides)

2nd PLACE

Self Promotion (Multimedia) – Click Here to View!

2nd PLACE

Employee/Internal Communications (Referral Program) – Click Here to View!

3rd PLACE

Self Promotion (Online)

First it was The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother book. Then, the How to Land Your Kid in Therapy article. It seems there’s nothing like a little published maternal self-examination to make moms question themselves and their choices.

Though I haven’t read what Tiger Mother has to say yet, I did print out the How-To article and questioned whether I saw any signs of seriously undermining my kids’ sanity. Am I obsessed with my children’s happiness? Not really (I’m actually kind of selfish) but I do care a lot about:

• how they’re doing in school
• whether they’re getting along with others in the world
• exposing them to things they might end up enjoying

In retrospect, I’d definitely say I think about my 10 and 8 year-old’s happiness almost as much as running more, interrupting less, calling people more, volunteering less, reading more, Facebook-ing less, having more date nights with my husband, and figuring out the new math and its evil evil ways.

Here’s the thing: I like to be busy. If I’m not planning something, I wish I was. I do like when others take the lead, but I’ve found that in today’s world, if you’re not reserving space for something, marking your calendar, or signing up for something four months ahead of time, you’re behind the ball and/or miss out. And I HATE to miss out. I also hate late sign-up fees, which have sucked me into being one of those premature planners/shoppers that I used to ridicule. Fact is, these days, if you don’t have swim goggles by April, in July, you’re buying the last pair from a not-so-reliable store the day before camp starts and kicking yourself two days later when they break in half.

The three days I’m in the office (love ya, Alstin!) our lives are pretty much scheduled to the minute. I have to make a train, the kids have to make a bus, and my husband has to put in a certain number of billable hours. The two days I’m home, I’m usually planning things — AKA: systematically eradicating our free/down time. One sport (per kid, with different fields and practice/games days/times) or two? For my son, add an instrument (only one practice a week at school, but they’re supposed to practice a few hours a week at home which means me bugging him to do so) or a drawing class? For my daughter, hip hop (do I really want to see the moves she’ll have by 12?) or a singing lesson? Are we leaving enough time for a decent meal two nights out of five AND homework? There are many nights where I reason, “Sure, it’s from a box, but we’ll have 20 more minutes for homework and maybe even get them in the shower by 8! Bring on the box!!!”

Would my kids be better off chilling out during the week? Drawing class could be replaced by my son and I heading out back with a pad and pencil to sketch some trees. My daughter can keep singing into her mirror and hold off on the basics of vocal training until she’s old enough for chorus at school (free!). They could even take an entire season off from sports and we could wing it — some nights, playing board games, other nights, heading out for a leisurely family dinner while talking about our days.

The thing is, as harried as we can get as parents, the kids don’t seem stressed. Sure, they’re tired now and then. Some nights, they’d rather watch the America’s Funniest Home Videos re-run than pick up sheet music. But if, as parents, we’re okay with being a little crazy-busy, isn’t there a good chance that our kids will pick up on that— even if some days, they’re not 100% into the said activity? Believe me, I’d know where they’d be coming from. Helping out at the Halloween festival sounds like fun when it’s a month away. The night of, when you’re at school setting up folding chairs when you really want to be on the couch in your PJs with a glass of wine? Not so fun. But it’s all about the big picture.

Here’s how the decision to sign up for fall soccer went with the kids:

Me: “Do you guys want to play soccer this fall?”

Them: “Sure.”

The cleat shopping, practices, uniform washings, timing of practices, emails from coaches, fundraisers, weather forecast-watching, and logistical challenges of driving to different fields are — thankfully — lost on them. A few minutes after they said they’d like to play again, my daughter asked this question about committing her time to being part of a team, practicing for an hour, and trying her best while learning about competition and teamwork: “Do you know what color our shirts are going to be?”

I don’t, babe, but I’ll put it on my to-do list for tomorrow.

Did you ever hear about the studies involving witnesses? Despite a group of people seeing a staged crime take place at the same time, there are rarely two people who agree on what actually took place. Different individuals see different things, and often misinterpret what they saw because of their own experiences and/or biases.

Candidate/employee feedback about an organization’s recruiting practices and work environment can be wrought with the same potentially damaging issues. And though flawed and inaccurate recruiting feedback isn’t a crime punishable by law, it can hurt your employer marketing campaign and your ability to market your opportunities to potential candidates.

As a copywriter who likes to know a little more about a client than what their website tells the world, my experience with feedback has run the gamut.

I’ve gotten bare bones info:

“Here’s what our hiring manager says.”

I’ve gotten the basics:

“You can just check out our Careers page.”

I’ve gotten information overload:

“Here are five year old employee testimonials along with detailed job descriptions for each opportunity we post.”

I am most ecstatic when a client has Alstin moderate and conduct a professional focus group. I liken it to finding a key to a treasure chest — one that is brimming with priceless tidbits of knowledge instead of smelly pirate souvenirs. It makes differentiating a client’s work environment more “Eureka” and less “ARRGGH!”

I recently got access to focus group feedback that, when printed out, was two inches thick. But the trees’ loss was my gain. The report included information from focus group sessions with our client’s newer hires, candidates who interviewed with our client but didn’t accept an offer, new grads, and industry professionals who work for organizations other than our client. The focus group moderator tapped into interviewing experiences, preconceived notions about the client, personal opinions of the industry in general and more specifically, what people thought about working for our client.

You may think such an opportunity for feedback would quickly turn into a forum for complaints. But with the right moderator, the result is not insults, but insight. By including your own employees as well as those who’ve chosen other organizations, objectivity and quite a few, “Wow, I never realized that” moments can be gleaned.

Keep in mind, though, that the best focus group reports are about more than quotes and opinions. Analysis of that feedback by a seasoned professional is key. Data is the raw material, but enlightening, useful competitive intelligence is the final product.

Anyone can ask questions. But only a select few can ask questions and present thoughtful conclusions that give life to ideas that will truly distinguish one organization’s opportunities and culture from those of another.

Have you left some wiggle room in your next budget for a professionally moderated focus group?

Next time inquiring minds want to know more about your plans for drawing the best and brightest talent to your organization, know that a focus group is worth its weight in gold.

That’s the rule, right? Well, I’m happy to report that one month and two games into little league softball season, I have yet to have a player tear up. That’s not counting the one I hit with a misfired pitch.

I’m kidding!

(So far.)

The eleven cuties on Team Brouhaha (more on the name soon) have been very patient with me. It’s only my third year coaching, my first year in “Minor B”, and I never really played softball well. Minor B is one step up from T-ball, meaning we keep score, there are actually outs, and on a really good hit to the outfield (not one that dribbled by three players, but one really solid smack), you are allowed to run to second base.

I couldn’t ask for a better group of parents – two stepped up to be Team Parents (they handle the instant bloom of paperwork and fundraisers that happens every spring), and two signed on to be Bench Parents (making sure the girls pay attention on the bench and are aware of when they’re batting). In addition, my Assistant Coach is Jeff – my husband’s best friend since middle school. It’s good to know that even if I really screw something up, he’s going to be relatively forgiving and/or just laugh behind my back on the golf course.

So back to the name. The head of our softball division came up with all the team names, and they sort of match. Except for ours. There’s Rolling Thunder, Cyclones, and Storm. We’re Brouhaha, which the dictionary defines as “an uproar. hubbub.” So what’s all the hubbub? Explaining that definition to a group of six- and seven-year olds. Our team name last year was Momentum, so I’m pretty certain the powers-that-be are messing with me. I explained brouhaha as “excited noise”, came up with a cheer that involves the phrase “ooh la la”, and so far, the girls have rolled with it.

Unlike me with the team/coaches shirt I was given.

Though I’m less than well-endowed, the shirt I was given was laughable even for me. More suited for an Olsen twin, actually. So I ordered one on zazzle.com that pretty much sums up my approach to the game.

Why do I like coaching? Well, it’s actually not my favorite thing ever…lots of time, emails, and rules and such that you have to remember pretty much in an instant with confidence. I do it because my daughter wants me to (again, “so far”), because I love being outside, and because I enjoy helping little girls get regular injections of confidence…especially when it comes to things athletic and competitive. They were all given softball tattoos (the temporary kind…I have to really know someone to ink them for real) after practice one day, and they like showing me what they choose to apply and where.

Some of my Brouhahaers? There’s Grace and Eleana, sisters — a kindergartener and first grader who’ve never played before but lead the team in smiling and hustling. Laine, who made a leaping grab that was almost as priceless as the look on her face when she realized she actually had the ball in her glove. Lauren, just shy of the “moving up” age, whose confidence is not yet on par with her height but whose bat does all the talking. Amanda — AKA “Lefty” and “Speedy”…a fireball in terms of both wit and will. And my daughter, Jamie, who at 3-foot nothing has a batter’s stance that would intimidate Ryan Howard.

Along with the transition to tougher rules, outs, and scorekeeping come opportunities for self-doubt. If a girl doesn’t hit one of the five balls the coach pitches to (near?) them, the “T” comes out. They know what it means. It’s one of many “you didn’t quite do what we wanted you to do there” moments that force a person to grow, and hopefully, not give up.

But there’s also a “STAR OF THE GAME” — a bright yellow star with the picture of that day’s MVP in the center. We award one after each match-up and they seem almost as popular as the post-game base relay. It’s only a 5″ piece of shaped paper, but it’s my hope that long after the tattoos have been picked off, the fields have been closed for the season, and the fun sport that’s still soft on the spirits of little girls has become a memory, glimpses of strong self-esteem will glow on.

Ocean City, New Jersey has been “my beach” since I was two years old. It was the town my family visited every summer for two weeks, renting a converted garage apartment that had no air conditioning, no phone, and no TV, but was a block from the beach. We went to the boardwalk amusements maybe once or twice to ride the rides — that’s all my parents were willing to spring for — and spent most other nights in our sandbox, or riding bikes in the alley, or at the beach playing tag football and Wiffle ball after dinner.

Fast forward to my teen years: Ocean City became the place I got my first taste of work. Taxes. And sunburn. As a Beach Tag Inspector, I walked miles each day, checking for the unsightly plastic badge that signaled a “legal” visitor while killing time talking to the lifeguards. Okay, maybe it wasn’t THAT taxing…

For teenagers and college students lucky enough to have a place to crash for the summer, I highly recommend giving the seasonal-employment-at-the-beach-thing a try. A listing of this year’s openings can be found by clicking here and include:

• Music Pier Cashier (Doesn’t that have a great ring to it? Say three times fast.)
• Recreation Attendant – Boat Ramp (I picture Gilligan, but would prefer the Professor.)
• Golf Ranger (“Tools and Equipment Used: Cash Register, Golf Cart.”)
• Parking Meter Collector (Sorry, but Beach Tag Inspector sounds way more glamorous.)

I even came back to Ocean City to get my first “real” job when my parents retired and moved to the shore full time. I had just graduated from college and joined the Ocean City Sentinel Ledger as an Advertising Sales Rep. A small weekly, the Sentinel gave me a hands-on education in old-time newspaper layout, door-to-door ad space sales in a downtown just seven blocks long, and the freedom and encouragement to pitch in by writing a few articles here and there.

Today, Ocean City is the place my husband and I go to escape our even real-er jobs with our kids. It’s about more bike riding and fewer “drop-offs”, more walks and fewer errands, more mom & pop ice cream and doughnut shops and fewer fast food stops, more body-surfing and less time at the gym. It’s a place for pizza that makes my mouth water each time I sit down at the counter (sometimes twice a weekend), a boardwalk perfect for walking with first dates, running with friends, or strollering babies, and an old-style arcade with black and white photo booths — each year’s strip of funny faced poses a telling reminder of just how quickly my babies grew out of strollers. Their summer break — barring any surprise March blizzards that push our “snow days” past the break even point — is only 72 days including weekends. Didn’t summer break seem more like it was four months long when you were little?

Every day of the summer, Ocean City is traditions just waiting to happen — sending your kids out to ride bikes on never ending sidewalks, gathering shells and looking them up in a shell book, grilling on the deck (before you’ve gotten a shower) with a beer in one hand and a pair of seagull-shooing tongs in the other.

For retirees, Ocean City is a place to become a “local” —- even if surfing isn’t in your repertoire. Year-round life at the shore is about the butcher knowing you by name, riding a beach cruiser to the bank, knowing the best place for shrimp salad, and breathing a sigh of relief when Labor Day is over and the tourists (some of whom happen to be your children and grandchildren) head back home.

The shore is where you realize — as a parent transporting a mountain of beach chairs, toys and supplies (which you swore you would never do) or as a retiree watching another pink sunset — that the most important job you’ve ever had is the one that paid absolutely nothing.

As I count my blessings (and the days ‘til summer vacation) I realize there are probably far fancier beaches, less crowded beaches, or more exotic beaches that you may know about.

But the way I see it?

You don’t really know summer until you’ve known Ocean City.

According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, “In limited circumstances, travel time may be considered hours of work.” If anyone is blurring the line, it’s Scott Parisi – a high school (and Facebook) friend of mine who works in the retail optical industry. Responsible for more than 250 locations in the U.S., he typically flies about five to six times a month for work. 

That much air time can be a drag for some, but Scott has found a way to not only pass the time, but to use it to entertain.

Back in 2008, he created a Facebook group called Sleeping In Public (SiP) – a brutally honest photographic record of regular folks caught snoozing in places other than their beds. Though most of the pictures feature people in airports and on airplanes, followers are treated to gems taken on buses and beaches, parking lots and parks.

SiP currently has nearly 200 members and more than 300 photo contributions. Highlighting friends, family and complete strangers, Scott is an equal opportunity shutterbug who not only tries to keep a regular flow of his own shots in the pipeline, but takes pride in quality. His work ethic is evident in rare shots when he displays the signature Scott Smirk and when he raises the bar by capturing a “sleeping trifecta” (three snoozers in one shot). 

Facebook’s own statistics note that the average Facebook user “is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events.” Some are higher-brow than others. Some are meant to drive consumer/client traffic – this is where my plug for  Alstin Communications, Inc.’s Facebook group comes in. Others, though seemingly devoid of meaning, provide one of the day’s best belly laughs. And who can measure the value of that?

Many who travel for work read. Others plug in. And even more tune out. But SiP proves that flashes of creativity and connectedness are possible, even during the most routine days. Besides sharing funny shots of much-needed naps, Scott’s updates show loved ones where he is on any given day and whether or not his flight is delayed.

Another Facebook stat? People who use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice as active on Facebook than non-mobile users.

So the next time you check your luggage and settle into your less-than-comfortable assigned seat, be sure to keep one eye open.

Back on July 23rd, 2009, I wrote about (jobs) LOST & FOUND (support). The topic was reaching out on Facebook and LinkedIn to increase your chances of making a connection that could help you get a job. I also wrote about my sister-in-law and her experience with the economic downturn that was hitting the country…  

“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.”  

Fast forward almost a year and a half later and we have a happy ending to a not-so-happy blog post.   Linnea, my previously unnamed sister-in-law, nailed her first and second interviews with a bank last week and is no longer unemployed! She’ll start the new year in a smaller environment, full time, for “enough” money, doing a job that’s very close to what she did for her former employer for 20 years. She waited for something great and got it.   She learned about the job from a former colleague, and though I’m not sure the HR people or hiring manager checked Linnea out on Facebook or LinkedIn, if they did, the glowing reviews from co-workers would definitely have helped them make their decision.   Though her kids will be just as anxious as she may be about her starting work again (no more pancake breakfasts and rides to school!), the whole family is very proud of her.   There’s only one problem.   With her birthday just ahead — Linnea was born on Christmas day — we’re all pretty sure that no matter what presents we get her (wrapped in birthday paper…NEVER Christmas paper), we’ll be unable to top what she did for herself this year.    Happy Professional (re)Birth Day, Linnea!

As we wind down 2010, this December we’re all taking a look back at some of our favorite blogs. In case you missed it the first go-around, here’s Christy Parker’s favorite – enjoy!

My favorite blog post was “Forty is the new.30? .21? .age of denial?” My brain had barely registered 30 when 40 came around the curve, so figuring out how I felt about turning what has traditionally been considered “middle aged” took awhile. So many of us fear the next year in our life cycle, but I really agree with what Max Frisch said about aging: “Time does not change us. It just unfolds us.”

-Christy Parker, Creative Manager

Movie stars have the Academy Awards, Major League Baseball has the World Series (sniff sniff…please give me a moment while I dry the tears on my Phillies shirt), and advertising agencies like Alstin have the CEAs.

The Creative Excellence Awards are our industry’s top annual honor — a highly regarded “win” in the world of employer marketing. Sure, there may be prettier awards (though I think Oscar looks like an undernourished, underdressed Mr. Clean), but when it comes to flexing our creative muscle, the CEA Awards incite some much-welcome cheerleading.

Though there is a cost to enter submissions, the winners are usually a nice cross-section of large and small agencies from across the nation.  The great news from our attendee in Florida last night? Along with frequent flier miles, we racked up five wins!

Thanks to all of our clients – especially Christiana Care Health System! – who believe in us and help turn creative projects into reality. Without further self-congratulatory back patting, here are the winners:

Grand Prize – Diversity 

&

With playoff phever*  descending upon Center City, Philadelphia, I have to share a great site and kindred creative enterprise. Anyone can do a help wanted ad, but Alstin tries to bring something different to the job at hand — whether it’s a design, headline or demographically targeted copywriting. Philly Phaithful does the same thing for t-shirts. You want a standard issue Phillies t-shirt? Line up at Dick’s, Mo’s or Sports Authority with the rest of the bandwagoners. You want a unique piece of statement apparel? You want something to annoy the hell out of other teams’ fans? You want a shirt people want to steal from your laundry basket? Check out Philly Phaithful.

I discovered Philly Phaithful on my morning commute/walk through Suburban Station. Ticket agency Stellar Tickets  gives the Phaithful’s fan-tastic t-shirts front row attention by hanging them along the glass in their storefront. I’ve actually stopped in my tracks (I walk pretty fast and almost spilled the coffee of the guy behind me the other day) to take another look at the newest Phaithful shirts Stellar is displaying.

My favorite? The “enjoy Chooch” shirt — done in Coca-Cola-like script, though the Dr. J with the ‘fro was the one that initially caught my eye.

And baseball isn’t the only sport they have fun with. There are Philly basketball, football and hockey shirts, each one sure to make you the best dressed member of your tailgate. Out to push a few buttons at the next game? There are also designs making fun of the other cities’ heroes. Even if rubbing in athletic superiority isn’t your thing, it’s nice to know that $5 from every shirt sale goes to the American Cancer Society. 

With another World Series win just around the corner (my idea for a t-shirt? DEJA TWO), and the holidays rounding the bases soon after (by the way, be sure to check out the Santa shirt), a shopping spree at Philly Phaithful’s website is as smart as Rubén Amaro, Jr.

* Had to get that overdone play on PH out of my system. Thanks.

Isn’t it always the way? When you get yourself up to speed with the latest trend, something new comes onto the scene. In this case, just as you’re putting the finishing touches on your candidate-friendly Facebook page and you’ve gotten your twittering where you wanted it, the talk has turned to video.

Though technology seems to come at you faster than ever, smart recruiting is about more than keeping up — it’s about reaching out in stimulating ways to potential employees.

FACT #1: Making a video is easy.

I was standing in line at the grocery store the other day and saw a four year old using his mom’s iPhone to make a movie. “Dees are my toes…dat is my hand…dat is mom’s hand…” It was an adorable effort, but will probably only enjoy limited release in a few select living rooms.

FACT #2: Making a good video is tough.

It can also be expensive and time consuming. That’s why whenever a client needs a professional-grade video with a high level of production, custom camera work, and multiple bells and whistles, we partner with one of our proven video partners for knockout results.

The thing is, sometimes our clients — most often, an HR department — don’t have the time or money to work with us or our partners on a professional video. They still need something for their website, for their FB page, or for YouTube.

FACT #3: There is another way.

(Cue the magical-fairy-dust-twinkling-in-the-air music.)

Rather than turning to their four year-olds, our clients are increasingly requesting one of Alstin’s Montage Videos.

A montage video is just what you’d expect — a collection of photos (yours or our stock), short video clips, and text set to music. They run anywhere from a minute to three minutes, and in most cases, cost under $1,000. They can be turned around in about 7 business days, and are easily uploaded to your Careers page on your website, YouTube, can be set up to be viewed from a link in an email, or (for an additional investment) can be turned into a DVD.

So give it a try. And the next time you see a cute kid making a movie with his parent’s really cool phone, tell him to keep his day job.

If you are a parent of a school-aged child – whether you cried as they got on the bus or celebrated by dancing a little jig now that it’s back to school time – chances are great that you are now being bombarded by your school with friendly but firm requests for:

• your skills
• your trash (seriously.)
• your time
• your money
• or all of the above.

The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is on the hunt, and they’ve got you in their sights.

The thing is, as raw a deal as it sounds (“Give us lots of time and you’ll get a nice big thank you!”), it’s really a Win-Win-Win — or, what I like to call a Freepeat.

1. THE SCHOOL gets a cross-section of parents who become more vested in the success of the school.
Too often, school activities and fundraisers are run by a team of 5-10 overworked, overstressed, overstretched parents. Trying to do it all with not enough hands to help them, things fall through the cracks, diversity in thought and membership declines, and the most valuable human resources of all — parents — are wasted. The PTO is not a “board”…it is an organization. But just like the lottery, you’ve got to play to win. By volunteering, you create the PTO you want.

2. THE PARENTS get to help shape the future, make friends, and show off a little.
Were you drawn to your school because it had so much going on? Guess what? It can all go away without people to organize, plan, recruit and run the stuff. Volunteering ensures your school will stay cool.
Are you all filled up on friends? I actually heard a friend say this (glad I made the cut before it was too late)! If you’d like to get to know other parents and possibly make a few connections that could turn into friendships, volunteer. After all, adults can have playdates too. Mine usually involve poker and margaritas.
What’s Your Thing? You know what Your Thing is. It may be what you do for a living, but it’s probably that guilty little pleasure — also known as a hobby — that you haven’t had a chance to dabble in lately. Believe me, no matter what Your Thing is, your school would love to have you do it for free. Write it off as time spent “networking.” You may even learn a few things.

3. THE KIDS get a more well-rounded educational experience.
There will always be subjects to learn. Tests to take. And recess. It’s also a fact of scholastic life that there will never be enough money. Buses for field trips at my kids’ public school this year will cost $13,200. Only a small portion of that cost is covered by the district/state. Guess where the rest comes from? Pizza and giftwrap fundraisers, “boxtops”, book sales, the holiday craft bazaar, Family Dining Out Nights, the Spring Fair, etcetera. As much as it may seem like the fundraiser flyers are piling up faster than the autumn leaves, committing yourself to participating in one, two or ten of them makes a huge impact on your child’s school year and his/her ability to visit the planetarium. Don’t have a ton of cash to spare? Don’t sweat it. Time is actually the most precious commodity. Donating even a mere 60 minutes of your time to help run a fundraiser is valuable and appreciated just as much as a check.

So, are you in?
Will you help make the Freepeat a reality at your school?
Congratulations. You’re hired.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Though a QVC gift card would be nice, too

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

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

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

As a service to our readers, we proudly present:

RECRUITER CAMP: Summer 2010

(no insect repellent or sunblock required)

FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS

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

ARCHERY

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

INVESTIGATING WEBS

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

PUBLIC SPEAKING

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

FISHING

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I love working in Center City for many reasons, but the easy lunchtime access to great stores has to be one of the biggest. Just a few steps out the front door of our building and past a few lunch carts are a bevy of dazzling retail options sure to stimulate the senses of anyone interested in shoes, makeup, art supplies, clothes, fragrant bath products, and sports apparel.

But just when I thought Center City had the best one-stop thing going, I learned about social network landing pages. Turns out these pages (yes, of course Alstin has one and would love to make one for your organization…you didn’t think they were just going to let me rattle on about my shopping addiction, did you?!) give visitors to the page — or your web site, where many organizations house them — an at-a-glance look at all the places they can find you on the web. Think of it as a virtual mall kiosk, except instead of listing categories of stores, visitors find all the websites where the organization in question maintains a presence.

In addition to being a great time-saver, social network landing pages tell a visitor, client, vendor, potential applicant, etc. a ton about you. From watching videos you’ve posted on YouTube (um, professional ones) and following what your employees are blogging about to see who “likes” you, the places on your page help prove just how current and technological your organization really is.

In this case, much like scouting out a coming sale at a favorite venue, what you know can help you financially. Just like Alstin’s contest that will award a $250 Target (yes, Tar-zhay) Gift Card to one of the people who knows us (and our social network landing page) best.

Well, I must sign off. I ate at my desk and therefore only have 48 minutes left to check out the new running shoes at City Sports. Happy shopp…I mean, surfing!

I tend to err on the side of optimism, but even the most Grinchy of industry observers could find promise in the recent SHRM article, “U.S. Could See Hiring ‘Heat Wave’ in May.”

The piece, written by Theresa Minton-Eversole, opens with this palpitation-inducing prediction:

“‘May 2010 hiring activity in the manufacturing and service sectors could reach levels not seen in three years,’ according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) survey report released May 7, 2010.”

There are words like “surge,” “highest,” “increase,” “improved,” and a lovely smattering of Up arrows throughout the article.

Surely some of these jobs are of the grease-covered summer job variety, but others seem to be more long-term offerings. In terms of the difficulty recruiters are having recruiting top-level talent, the article reports that, “More employers [are] reporting difficulty filling their ‘A positions’ compared to this time one year ago.” Openings in manufacturing and service sectors are good news for unemployed workers as well as for the fresh-from-commencement crowd. More important is what that could mean for people whose jobs are directly impacted by a drop in hiring — people like ME! For many years, my life revolved around “late Thursdays” — Thursdays being the nights that a good part of our agency worked ‘til midnight to handle the volume associated with the newspapers’ classified advertising/help wanted section deadlines. It was no party, but they were busy, stimulating days. I once complained to my husband about having to attend ANOTHER client lunch at Le Bec Fin when I had so much work back at the office.

Fast-forward to the past three years and my newfound fondness for Lean Cuisine. They say the housing market is a reliable indicator of the health of the economy, but I really believe that if the powers to be in the DOL wanted some clues as to what was coming, they should have polled the recruitment advertising agencies. We tend to hear about slashed budgets, hiring freezes, and downturns in typically active industries before you can say 500-pink-slips-delivered-via-email.

Recently, I’m happy to report that my “thinking about how we can market our offerings to our clients” assignments have taken a back seat to “the client needs this today” requests. And though painfully unrealistic turnaround is never a fun thing, it’s much, much better than worrying about which client will be the next to tell you they’re “pulling back for a year or so.” I’ve seen quite the uptick in social networking, e-card, and even job fair (!) projects coming across my desk in recent months. That news is like a much needed dose of sunshine. Possibly just the right amount of life-sustaining light to cure my J.S.A.D. (Job Slump Affective Disorder) and get me pumped for hire expectations.

But how about you???
Have you seen an increase in your hiring requests?
Can you sense an uptick at your organization?

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.

As I celebrated my 40th birthday in bed a few weeks ago (get your minds out of the gutter — I caught my daughter’s stomach bug), I got to thinking about how I felt about my fourth decade and realized I’m stuck somewhere between incredibly grateful and horribly blind sided.

On one hand, I’ve got a lot to be thankful for. I have a wonderful husband/marriage (don’t ever believe you can’t meet anyone good in a bar…), kids that I once thought I wouldn’t be able to conceive, and parents who’ve always been about being there and enjoying today. Though I feel the need to knock on wood, I’ve been pretty healthy, can still run a faster mile than most high schoolers (though my 14-year old nephew can definitely kick my butt in a 5k), have a job I enjoy, and friends I know, love, and can share, cry, work out, compare notes, and drink with without traveling more than a hour.

On the other hand, I’ve noticed some kinks in the armor. Ligaments that don’t recover quite as quickly as they used to. I’m investing a small fortune in retinol creams and large sunglasses to “rejuvenate” the delicate eye-area skin that I abused on the beach for ten years. I’m pretty anxious about the general well-being of our government, planet, and our nation’s kids. And I attended more funerals for the parents of friends in the past twelve months than I have weddings.

40 really isn’t just a number. It’s not even a milestone. It’s more like the mileage on my car’s odometer. Though I still feel like I’m chugging along at a good rate, I’ve got quite a few miles behind me, and the road ahead definitely has a horizon line. Am I at the halfway point? Or, like my Nana, who lived to 94, am I just getting to the good stuff?

To celebrate the beginning of my 41st year, my friends reminded me of who I used to be. My kids showed me they love me for who I am today. And my husband? He’s taking me to see Chelsea Handler, to laugh off any worries I have about what may happen from here on out.

This week, as I went from entering “39″ on the elliptical machine to entering “40″— does a machine REALLY need that much information?— I looked around the gym at the other people chugging along, just like me.

I admired the twenty-something, but I didn’t envy her. Too many decisions coming. Too much time spent thinking about the future. Too much proving yourself. I wondered about the sixty-something. Was she where she wanted to be? Did her kids still keep in touch? Did she still hold hands with her husband? But it was the seventy-something who really caught my attention.

It was when I saw her walking around the indoor track with her friend, moving to let others pass, happy to be where she was — heading toward what was around the turn with a look of contentment and grace — that I knew the answer. 40 is The New Me.

If you’re in healthcare, you already know about The Joint Commission, formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Chances are pretty good that an impending visit has even caused you to break out in a sweat. Well, get out your ShamWow, because The Joint Commission is proposing new standards that, if rolled out in 2011 as predicted, will have administrators in healthcare settings hopping.

The Joint Commission will be enacting new standards to evaluate employers’ “cultural competence.” This is about more than hiring a diverse workforce. The Joint Commission defines cultural competence as “the ability of health care providers and organizations to understand and respond effectively to the cultural and language needs brought by the patient to the health care encounter.” With 17 standards/points to meet, the addition of cultural competence to the audits will require more objective reviews of your organization’s policies and practices, more strategic planning, more employee training and education, more documentation, and quite possibly, more hires.

From the head honcho charged with evaluating (or possibly creating?) your organization’s cultural competence policy — preferably a highly experienced HR or healthcare professional with a specific, successful background in diversity and inclusion — to the interpreters you’ll need to communicate with patients and their families (I really wish I had taken more than two years of Spanish in high school…), cultural competence is the buzz phrase that is sure to have you busting your butt to ensure coveted accreditation by The Joint Commission.

Here’s a sneak peek at just a handful of the Proposed Requirements (the bolded areas are mine…):

(Leadership Chapter) Standard LD.04.03.01 The hospital provides services that meet patient needs. EP 4. The hospital uses available population-level data to help determine the needs of the population(s) served. Note 1: Population-level data sources may include for example, census figures, voter registration data, and school enrollment profiles. Note 2: The needs of the population(s) served may be based on the following demographic characteristics: -Age -Sex -Disability -Language(s) -Race/ethnicity -Religion(s) -Socioeconomic status -Education level -Sexual orientation -Gender identity or expression. EP 5. The hospital uses aggregated patient-level data to help determine the needs of the population(s) served.

(Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services Chapter) Standard PC.0X.0X.0X. The hospital effectively communicates with patients when providing care, treatment and services. EP 1. The hospital identifies the method by which patients want to receive and provide information. Note: Methods may include the use of a preferred language, auxiliary aids, and plain language materials. EP 2. The patient’s preferred method of receiving and providing information is communicated across the care continuum to individuals who are involved in the patient’s care. EP 3. The hospital provides language access services and auxiliary aids to facilitate communicate with patients when providing care, treatment and services. Note: Language access service options include bilingual staff, interpreters, and contract interpreter services. Auxiliary aid options include communication boards, hearing aids, and speech output devices. EP 4. The hospital assesses the patient’s understanding of the information provided. Note: Understanding may be assessed by asking open-ended questions, using “teach back” methods, or return demonstrations.

(Rights and Responsibilities of the Individual Chapter) Standard RI.01.01.01. The hospital respects patient rights. EP 6. The hospital accommodates the patient’s cultural and personal values, beliefs, and preferences. Note: The cultural and personal values, beliefs and preferences of individuals served are varied and may require special considerations. The hospital will accommodate these values, beliefs, and preferences, unless they infringe on others’ rights, safety, or are medically or therapeutically contraindicated. EP 9. The hospital accommodates the patient’s right to religious and other spiritual practices. The spiritual practices of individuals served are varied and may require special considerations regarding scheduling, space, or other accommodations. The hospital will accommodate these practices unless they infringe on others’ rights, safety, or are medically or therapeutically contraindicated.

Obviously, the aim of the new standards isn’t to create more work for hospitals (or more opportunities for lawyers). It’s to ensure better care for all patients. The majority of studies find that racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare remain even after adjustment for socioeconomic differences and other healthcare-access related factors. With approximately 80% of the nation’s hospitals currently accredited by The Joint Commission, the potential for the new standards to make a true impact on patient care (and on your to-do list) is great.

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.

Highlights:

* Do you guru? Since most of Alstin’s clients are Human Resources professionals, we’re curious to see if you like http://http://www.careeronestop.org/jobseekertools/as much as the respondents did.

* 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.

If you’re ready to talk about great careers with a great video out there, contact Alstin Communications about innerviews today. Our team and video partners have the experience and “eye” for video production that will make your experience less of a, well…production!

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.

The honor would be all ours.

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.