These definitions are from Selling Power’s Talkin’ about Different Generations: The Silent Generation Consisting of workers over the age of 60, these folks tend to follow traditional patterns; they take their work seriously, expect to do this job for the rest of their working life, and feel comfortable working alone, knowing that they are trusted to perform up to or beyond expectations. Baby Boomers Born between the years 1943 and 1964, Boomers currently comprise almost half the workforce in many organizations. They tend to be a bit more individualistic than their elders, and struggle with workaholism and work-life balance issues. Generation X Born from 1964 to 1981, Gen X-ers have… Read More
Continue ReadingWeb Commute
That is a term coined by Citrix and one I suspect we will see with some frequency. If gas goes to $4/gallon, I suspect these articles will publish daily. ManageSmarter.com offers up an article discussing the preference of today’s workers to have technological flexibility in their job. The key here is the demographics of the results (emphasis mine): …U.S. workers aged 18-34 prefer flexible working conditions two-to-one over other age groups. In fact, 70% of survey respondents agreed that working remotely would be a welcome opportunity. In an era where acquiring and retaining good employees is a challenge, and the workforce is becoming increasingly young and mobile, offering the ability… Read More
Continue ReadingRetention Is The Toughest Challenge
Inc.com has a short article reporting the survey results of HR professionals that shows a shifting trend: In a survey of 413 HR professionals, more than half identified talent management as their top priority, and were planning to improve their rewards and benefits programs. Most employers cited employee retention among their five toughest challenges, ahead of health-care costs, the survey found. Last year, 80 percent identified health-care costs as their biggest challenge. I fully expect retention will move into the top spot and stay there for quite some time (i.e. years) as the Boomers retire.
Continue ReadingHow To Run A Gen X Meeting
As a Gen Xer, this article caught my attention on the Selling Power website. Some of the points from the article: Do remember this group has an entrepreneurial spirit. “They are individualists,” says Fishman. “Treat them as independent agents. They like to be in charge of things. If you have 100 people at your sales meeting, you have 100 entrepreneurs there.” Don’t hire motivational speakers. “This is not a group that needs to be motivated,” says Fishman. “They don’t like spin, hype, or touchy-feely. They want something that they can take back to the office that will help them sell. Sharpen their skills; that’s what they’re there for. Give them… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Cleanest Cities In America
Maybe the list from Forbes.com (via ABCNews.com) provides some assistance in recruiting candidates for relocation? The Twin Cities is ranked no. 9 on the list. A definite advantage until weather (i.e. winter) is discussed. Miami, FL Seattle, WA Jacksonville, FL Orlando, FL Portland, OR San Francisco, CA Oklahoma City, OK Tampa-St. Pete, FL Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN San Jose, CA
Continue ReadingThe Power Of Seven
From Selling Power’s How Much to Present to Your Customer: Experience shows that to the human mind there is something peculiarly satisfying about seven pieces of information. Seven questions, seven benefits, seven anything define the optimal attention span for most people, regardless of education or intelligence. Is it coincidental that we talk of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the seven fat years and the seven lean years in the Bible, the seven days of the week, the seven primary notes on the musical scale, and the seven subordinates who represent the ideal span of control for their manager? Did you know that? I didn’t. Further into the article:… Read More
Continue ReadingStupid Candidate Tricks
This post from Steven Rothberg over at CollegeRecruiter.com had me laughing. Isn’t it amazing how out-of-touch some candidates can be during a phone screen or interview? From Steven’s post: Candidate asked the interviewer for a ride home after the interview. Candidate smelled his armpits on the way to the interview room. Candidate said she could not provide a writing sample because all of her writing had been for the CIA and it was “classified.” You have to read the other 7 mistakes in the list. Unbelievable…and entertaining.
Continue ReadingNegative Penny Flow
Here’s a fun way to start your Monday – this sounds like the premise to a Steven Wright joke: “It costs almost 1.7 cents to make a penny,” said U.S. Mint director Ed Moy. Each year, the U.S. Mint makes 8 billion pennies, at a cost of $130 million. American taxpayers lose nearly $50 million in the process. The penny’s not alone. It costs nearly 10 cents to make a nickel.
Continue ReadingHappy Early Easter!
We are in the midst of a snowstorm so Easter and Spring seem oddly out of place against the backdrop of 6″ of snow. It is amazing how stunningly beautiful snow can look before Christmas and how utterly awful it looks before Easter. However, the JustSell.com guys provided me with some context to this Easter in their daily email (sorry, no link): Unless you’re 95 years old, you’ve never celebrated Easter this early. This year Easter falls on March 23, the earliest the holiday has been celebrated since 1913. Nearly 80% of consumers plan to celebrate this year and will spend $14.44 billion (about $135 each) on food, apparel, gifts,… Read More
Continue ReadingJobs In Paradise
ABCnews.com offers a completely tempting story to those of us stuck up here in the frozen tundra. With a snowstorm heading our way this evening, I am stuck on this thought: “We also have a ‘chief of village,’ which is sort of a cross between a cruise director and general manager,” Moeller said. “This is the most aspired-to position for many of our [employees]. It is like being queen or king of the roost.” There is a recruiting opportunity here: Most of these companies that cater to an international clientè have structured recruitment programs to draw worldwide talent. Bases are set up on multiple continents to sell the idea of… Read More
Continue Reading