I just read an ad for a mid-level sales position. Interesting part was the location listed in the ad: Milwaukie, WI The hiring company is based in Fresno, CA which is, I suppose, in relative proximity to Milwaukie, OR. However, the Wisconsin town of the same name is spelled “Milwaukee.” In hiring, details matter. (And wouldn’t you think Monster would have a checker of some form for these errors?)
Continue ReadingThe Illegality Of Facebook Due Diligence
Well, there isn’t any precedence yet, according to this StarTribune article. Clearly the proper use of social networking sites during background checks for candidates is going to be a tremendously important legal topic soon. This topic has been percolating for some time. The article references an obvious starting point: “We can suggest to employers that they include in their application process some statement that says ‘we do reference checking including use of information in the public domain’ and to make it broad enough that if they discover something online it’s fair game,” Ridley said. I have always been one to note that the Internet IS a public domain so anything… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Social Motivation
I have recently come across the Social motivation when assessing some sales candidates for a couple different customers and now I just heard a sales rep on the radio revealing his motivation. Here is what the salesperson said on the radio: I just met with a company yesterday who was paying almost twice as much to our competitor for the same service. They were getting ripped off and it isn’t right. I don’t deny the nobility of his position, but the reality is that very few services are exactly the same (despite prospect’s claims). A strong salesperson will define their value to the prospect who will make a decision about… Read More
Continue ReadingMonster HotJobs
Breaking news from the big job board world (via press release): Today, we are excited to announce that Monster has entered into an agreement to acquire HotJobs that will provide you with unprecedented access to job seekers and make Monster the leading site for job seekers in the U.S. Upon the close of the acquisition, Monster will also enter into a multi-year strategic agreement with Yahoo!, becoming the jobs and recruitment engine on Yahoo!’s homepage for both the U.S. and Canada. I’m not overly surprised by this news as I believe HotJobs has been fading fast over the past year or two. I still believe the consolidation of major job… Read More
Continue ReadingWhy Companies Hire
From abcnews.com regarding the “jobs proposal” working its way through Washington: Obama’s proposal has an additional provision that would award $5,000 tax credits to companies that add workers in 2010. Honestly, has anyone in this administration ever run a private company? I’m no economist, but my experience is this – companies hire more workers when revenue increases (i.e. growth). One-time minimal tax credits do not spawn hiring booms. This fact puts the pressure solely on the sales department to find new prospects and close more deals in this depressed economy. No small feat.
Continue ReadingA Steakhouse Ad
From a sales employment ad I read this morning: Proven, world-class technology with plenty of sizzle I can’t decide if I like that last turn of phrase in an ad or not. For software sales, it sounds positive. For slick-talking salespeople, it sounds like a negative stereotype. I would recommend leaving the “sizzle” for steak.
Continue ReadingRudeness At Work
From Shine on Yahoo comes one of those surveys that makes me think we are over-surveying (emphasis mine): …96% of Americans report experiencing rudeness at work, and 48% say they are treated uncivilly at least once a week. This kind of manners meltdown can have a direct effect on the bottom line. According to surveys conducted by Pearson and her colleagues, 48% of poorly treated employees have intentionally decreased their productivity and 12% say the boorish behavior compelled them to quit. Workplace rudeness costs employers an average of $50,000 per worker. “There are very high costs associated with even seemingly inconsequential inconsiderate words and actions,” adds Pearson. Insert yawn here… Read More
Continue ReadingSocial Networking Series
I received a PR email notifying me of a 3-part series starting tonight on Nightly Business Report. Here are the details: “Social Networking” Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Thursday, January 28, 2010 Similar to the introduction of TV in the 1950’s, social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter are rapidly becoming a core component of many Americans’ daily lives. But where businesses could easily impact the American consumer through TV advertisements, the road map for marketing through social networking is a bit more complex. The rules are certainly different, but as NBR’s Scott Gurvey finds out: the rewards may be even greater. Tuesday 1/26: Pt. 1… Read More
Continue ReadingFastest Growing Employment Industries
I received a press release from IBISWorld with some interesting data about where the employment growth will occur over the next 4-5 years. Of course, I would be a bit skeptical about number 2 considering the recent announcements from the White House concerning the banking industry. Nonetheless, still an interesting picture: Rank Industry Employees 2009 Employees 2014 Annualized Growth 2009-2014 1 Voice Over Internet Protocol Providers (VoIP) 17,110 34,850 15.3% 2 Private Equity, Hedge Funds & Investment Vehicles 35,200 58,700 10.8% 3 Single Family Home Building 435,000 655,000 8.5% 4 Car & Automobile Manufacturing 50,756 73,950 7.8% 5 Environmental Consulting 122,922 176,519 7.5% 6 Multi Family Housing Construction 60,000 86,000… Read More
Continue ReadingI Don’t See The Point Of Twitter
I know the Twitterheads are going to flame this, but I have to agree with Ricky Gervais: But after composing only five Tweets, Gervais gave up on January 9, telling his 13,000 followers he was going to stop his updates because “I don’t see the point.” He followed up with an explanation on his blog, calling Twitter “undignified.” (As opposed, say, to David Brent dance.) “I just don’t get it, I’m afraid,” Gervais wrote. “I’m sure it’s fun as a networking device for teenagers but there’s something a bit undignified about adults using it. Particularly celebrities who seem to be showing off by talking to each other in public.” I… Read More
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