Let me state my position – I believe employers should research all sites when considering a candidate for hire. That includes social-networking sites. I know there are arguments for both sides of this new debate and I am not completely sold on my position. However, it appears that the trend among hiring managers is to use these sites in their hiring process: The study, reported by Reuters, found that out of 3,169 hiring managers, 22 percent of them (about 698 managers) used social networking sites to find out information regarding potential candidates. This is up from 11 percent, or 349 managers, since 2006. Even though 22 percent may not seem… Read More
Continue ReadingReturn Of Middle Management?
Here is a trend I have not heard of recently (emphasis mine): The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports about 45 percent of U.S. job openings through 2014 will be in the hidden middle-level job sector, most of them technical jobs that cannot be outsourced. Mid-level means middle management, right? Ok, maybe not. Nonetheless, I still have not heard of this trend until reading this short excerpt from The Career News newsletter. And one last piece of information to offset a popular misnomer: Charted on a graph, the image of a robust technician economy belies a popular misconception. Most assume the job market is heaviest on the low-end of the spectrum… Read More
Continue ReadingThe True-Life Assessment
I was out all yesterday helping the medical clinic where my wife works move into a new facility. I am a wannebe geek so I moved their small computer network for them and installed a new computer for the owner. The interesting item I observed was the work ethic of the people involved. I like to say that some times you just don’t need an assessment. I think moving may be one of those times. To be blunt, moving blows no matter how you look at it. It is disruptive, tiring, laborious and messy. However, one thing you can clearly observe is the work ethic of a person. At one… Read More
Continue ReadingBest Companies For Working Mothers
This topic is one I can really get behind since this is one of the toughest callings you can have in life, especially if you are a single mom. Kudos to General Mills for being a local company (local to us) that is a perennial resident on this list. The story is from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal: General Mills Inc. is among the nation’s top employers for working mothers, according to a 2008 list compiled by Working Mother magazine. It is the 13th consecutive year that Golden Valley-based General Mills (NYSE: GIS) has made the magazine’s top ranking.
Continue ReadingInitiative In Front Of You
This is a long set-up, but you’ll get the point. I just read an interesting Q&A article on BusinessWeek.com titled Being Pushy…or Taking the Initiative? Here is the question posed by an office manager who is hiring for a sales position: I’m the office manager in a branch of an international PR firm with more than 50 offices in the U.S. I run the administrative processes, work as the liaison with our U.S. headquarters, and serve as the HR chief for this branch. Last week I interviewed a candidate for an account manager position. This man had applied for the job through an online job ad. I do the first-screen… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Philosophical Ad
I’ve been reading through some sales ads and am seeing a trend regarding the introduction. Many ads are now describing their company in, for lack of a better word, philosophical terms. For instance, this excerpt is from a cell phone company’s ad: Are you ready to join _______ and Live Life in the Now?” “At ______, “NOW” is not a mantra, it’s not a demand and it’s not a time in space. NOW is a fact. It’s a lifestyle. It’s the way we conduct business with each other. And it’s the very essence of the experience we deliver to our customers every single day. We believe in the now. We… Read More
Continue ReadingPsychological Recession
I’m not one to head into a weekend with a downer of a post, but this article from CNNMoney.com is fascinating. The author is explaining how the US economy is not in a recession. The twists begin early with this stat: After all, most of the CFOs questioned in a recent poll agree that the U.S. is in a recession; among the general public, 76% said the U.S. was in a recession six months ago, and other polling suggests most people believe things have grown worse since then. I have seen this belief firsthand which always catches me off-guard. I have even heard people talking of another depression. I suppose… Read More
Continue ReadingTattoo Youth
Ok, lame play on words for a title so my regrets to the Rolling Stones. The tattoo topic is one that seems to be ever-present. What should companies do about employees with tattoos? The Herman Trend Alert (sorry, no link) provides the data as to why this topic is so common: Thus, it is no wonder that over 32 percent of young people aged 25 to 29 and 25 percent of folks aged 30 to 39 have followed suit (Harris Interactive, 2008). A 2006 Pew Research survey found 36 percent of people ages 18 to 25 had tattoos, while a full 40 percent of those 26 to 40 sported them.… Read More
Continue ReadingUmmm, Verbal Tics
I am back after a refreshing break so now it is time for the home stretch of 2008. I have to start with something light from JustSell.com – sales words: uh, verbal tics can be annoying, so… The article is a provides a great insight into a common problem (my editing): Verbal tics are words and phrases we use habitually, and sometimes, unconsciously. They’re the clutter in our speech that makes us sound less attentive, prepared, and intelligent than we want to sound. JustSell’s top 7 most aggravating verbal tics… uh um like you know I mean so (especially when used at the end of an unfinished sentence) well We… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Experience Myth
As you have probably ascertained, we are strong proponents of hiring for ability/potential that matches your sales as opposed to tenured experience in your industry. Naturally, this article – The Myth of Experience – from Managesmarter.com is right up our alley. Please allow me to reference an analogy from later in the article: Don’t fall into the myth of relying upon experience. Instead look for potential. That’s why there is always an image of flowers on a package of seeds. We don’t really care what the seeds look like. We want to know what they will become. I like that characterization even though I am not one to use “potential”…I… Read More
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