Recruitment Tips, Employer Trends, and Hiring Insights from CareerBuilder

Monthly Archives: December 2008

A “Culture of Recognition” – Worth Embracing?

When I was in high school, I had to attend this spiritual weekend retreat with my Junior class (I think it was supposed to be a bonding experience).  Anyway, throughout that weekend, there was a grossly unwarranted amount of hugging – your neighbor, yourself, the closest tree – that went on and that I was not expecting. 

Nothing against retreats – or hugging…or high schoolers – but what was already a mild aversion to embracing anyone who’s not my grandmother or someone who just gave me chocolate became a full on intolerance for touchy-feelyness in general after that weekend.  So please just take that into consideration when I show you this Incentive Magazine article I found today on ManageSmarter.  Continue reading

By in Employee Engagement, Retention

What’s So Cool About Your Company?

Great office environments can not only boost creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, but they can also promote higher attraction, engagement and retention of your employees. We recently talked about the best fictional places to work, and our own VP of marketing Jason Ferrara wrote about making your company a best place to work. Continue reading

By in Building a Best Place to Work, Employee Engagement, Innovation, Insights & Trends, Retention, Talent Acquisition

5 Tips for Motivating Individual Employees

What gets them going in your office? This time of year can more difficult than others to keep employees motivated with all of the distractions of the holidays and fallout fears with the economic climate.

If your idea of motivating employees is making sure there are enough highly-caffeinated beverages to go around, then you need to re-think your strategy. Continue reading

By in Employee Engagement

captain-kirk

Leadership Development Series – Who Would You Follow?

Just over a month ago, we elected a new national leader. Many were happy with the results, while some were disappointed; but I think we can all agree on being thankful that, after two years of campaigning, the process is finally over. Continue reading

By in Leadership Development

What You Don’t Know About Innovation Won’t Hurt Your Competitors

Every year, when I’m home during the holidays, I try – and fail – to explain to my mother that if she would invest just a little time in learning how to use the digital camera my sister gave her, she wouldn’t have to waste any more money on disposable cameras that, from everything I’ve seen her produce, have about a 20 percent (and I’m being generous here) success rate of producing a decent picture. Continue reading

By in CareerBuilder Products, Innovation, Insights & Trends, Talent Acquisition

6 Things You Might not Know about Passive Job Candidates (But You Should)

Many things in this world are a bit of an enigma. I asked my team what they consider to be a mystery in their own lives, and I got some interesting answers: mullets, and also “why my wife has nothing to wear in a closet full of clothes” (Matt); “why the hot lead dude from ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ never became a bigger star when everyone else in that movie did” (Mary); the existence of the duck-billed platypus (Craig); why Hypercolor t-shirts haven’t made a comeback (me); and the remaining interest of celebrities like Britney Spears, Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton (everyone). Continue reading

By in Economy, Interviewing, Talent Acquisition

10 Recession-Proof Holiday Bonus Ideas

Recently, a colleague passed the following article by Smart Online CEO Dave Colburn on to me (written before the, ahem, “news” that we’re officially in a recession) that I now want to pass on to you.  If your company is among what I’m sure are a growing number of businesses struggling to offer the usual holiday bonus this year, you’re probably already thinking about what kind of bonuses you can offer your employees that are of the, um, non-monetary persuasion. 

If this is so, consider some of the suggestions below, which offer incentives that show employees both your appreciation of their work and your understanding of their own financial difficulaties.  Before you do anything, however, if you know your employees are expecting that bonus, make sure they are prepared for any foreseeable bonus cut-backs…lest you end up like Frank Shirley. Continue reading

By in Employee Engagement

IT’S A WRAP: November in Review

Other than seeing holiday decorations go up in retailers everywhere the day after Halloween, the past 30 days were also filled with turkey, leftovers and trying to stomach a downward spiraling market. We just so happened to have a historic election at the beginning of the month too. Continue reading

By in In Review, Insights & Trends, Monthly Review

5 Things You Don’t Know About Recommendation Engines

Sometimes I just don’t get Pandora.  My latest infatuation, the music recommendation engine keeps trying to slip John Mayer into the same category as my beloved Ben Folds.  No offense to Mayer fans, but “Wonderland” is no “Brick,” and my efforts to skip over him, sadly, are in vain. 

Thus is the frustration of recommendation technology.  And it’s not limited to Pandora, either.  (Just because a person makes the mistake of renting one Dane Cook movie once, it doesn’t mean she wants to see every straight-to-DVD comedy that’s just been released.)  Designed with good intentions, it’s these little hiccups – inaccurate results, duplicate suggestions, spam – that give recommendations a bad rap…and why hiring managers often shy away from using such technology for their hiring efforts.  Continue reading

By in Talent Acquisition

Top 12 Unique, Colorful Holiday Gift Ideas

Only twenty-something shopping days left—it’s amazing how quickly the holiday season flies by once it gets here. I’m still trying to get my shopping done, and if anyone can give me the lowdown on where I can find a cheap price on a Nintendo Wii, my kids would be most appreciative. Continue reading

By in Uncategorized

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