Archive for June, 2010

SAS. Nordstrom. Google. Whole Foods. What do all these companies have in common beyond their brand recognition? They all made the 2010 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For. And this year at the 2010 SHRM Annual Convention in San Diego (#SHRM10), Michael Burchell, Ed. Continue reading

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• Posted by: Stephanie Gaspary on June 30, 2010
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• Categories: Building a Best Place to Work, Employee Engagement, Employment Branding, Events, Retention, SHRM 2010, Talent Acquisition

Well, while you were busy singing along to Hall and Oates’s “Maneater” at SHRM 2010, watching the longest tennis match in history, pacing in anxious anticipation of the premiere of “Eclipse,” or showing off your new bikini bod, lots of things were happening in the world of recruitment news and gossip this month. Let’s get right to it.

As Mashable has declared June 30 “Social Media Day,” it’s the perfect time to highlight why the risks of social media recruiting don’t negate the rewards. Employees everywhere were giving out rewards — of the rawhide type — as they showed off their Lassie lookalikes at the office this past Friday (or even all of last week) for Take Your Dog to Work Day. And while every dog had its day, we’re still waiting for better news from the Employment Situation report (but hey, a lot can change in a month!).

Continue Reading…

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• Posted by: Amy Chulik on June 30, 2010
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• Categories: In Review, Insights & Trends, Monthly Review, Social Media

While you were busy totally seeing this coming, inexplicably getting your own YouTube channel,  or showing would-be iPhone owners what waiting in line for a guilty pleasure really looks like, here’s what was happening in the world of workforce management this week… Continue Reading…

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• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on June 25, 2010
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• Categories: Week in Review

Take Your Dog to Work Day, started by Pet Sitters International, was first celebrated in 1999 (with 300 companies participating) to celebrate the companionship of dogs and encourage people to adopt dogs from humane societies, animal shelters and breed rescue clubs.  As we’ve discussed in the past, this annual event encourages employers to experience the value of pets in the workplace for one designated day, for the primary purpose of promoting pet adoptions and better the lives of shelter dogs.

And while bringing a four-legged friend to work isn’t practical for every kind of work environment, supporters claim having dogs around the office has many benefits, including lowering stress and boosting employee morale.

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• Posted by: Amy Chulik on June 24, 2010
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• Categories: Employee Engagement, Events, Philanthropy

I recently spoke with Dean Gualco, human resources manager and author of The Good Manager:  A Guide for the Twenty-First Century Manager, a book that focuses on how managers have gone from being respected in society and trusted by their employees to the source of blame for many workplace problems today. Continue reading

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• Posted by: Amy Chulik on June 24, 2010
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• Categories: Book Review, Employee Engagement, Insights & Trends, Leadership Development, Retention

According to a Personified survey of 250,000 job seekers, nearly 60 percent of job applicants reported they never received a response from the last employer they applied to for a job.

With millions of job seekers applying to hundreds of thousands of jobs every day, it’s increasingly challenging for you, the employer or recruiter, to provide applicants with useful information about your hiring process. In fact, the “black hole” applicants enter once they apply to a job is considered by most to be the biggest challenge in recruitment today.

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• Posted by: Amy Chulik on June 22, 2010
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• Categories: CareerBuilder Products, Insights & Trends, Talent Acquisition, Technology

Care to offer some insight?

Earlier this week, my colleague over at our job seeker blog, The Work Buzz, Kaitlin Madden, told me about an article she’s working on about what constitutes a deal breaker for hiring managers or recruiters.  So I thought I’d help her out by asking for your feedback…

What do you consider a deal breaker…during an interview? On a resume or in a cover letter? During salary negotiations?

That is, what’s the one thing a candidate can do – or, rather, has done – to immediately take him or herself out  of the running for consideration?

Got any stories to share?  Maybe a few words of wisdom? (It could end up working out in your favor…After all, the more we educate job seekers on the behavior that they should avoid – or altogether abolish – the more head- and heartache it’ll save everyone in the end…)

Please give us your thoughts in the comments below!  (Got something to say, but don’t want to leave it as a comment? Feel free to email me your stories instead!) Continue Reading…

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• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on June 22, 2010
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• Categories: Interviewing, Talent Acquisition

You know when people ask if you should read the book before you see the movie?  Well, that’s kind of how I felt upon reading Tony Hsieh’s new book, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, his personal account of helping develop and become CEO of successful online retailer Zappos.

The book is divided into three parts. The first is a look back at Hsieh’s childhood, wherein Hsieh shows signs of drive, business-savvy and entrepreneurship from a young age, setting the stage to become a successful business owner before turning 30.  The second part of the book focuses on his life as CEO of Zappos and the inner workings of Zappos’ famous corporate culture. The third part of the book recounts Zappos’ Amazon buyout, bringing us to present day and Hsieh’s new role as a public speaker on the topics of culture and values.  Hsieh concludes the book by driving home its central theme that, basically, as long as you do what you’re passionate about, everything else will fall into place.

Does It Deliver?
I had the pleasure of seeing Hsieh give an incredible keynote at SXSW in 2009, so I was excited to read the “book version” of the speech – and learn even more about the inner workings of the company made famous for its unique culture, superior customer service, and innovative use of social media. In person, Hsieh is a dynamic speaker, with the ability to captivate audiences and clearly convey the passion he feels for running his business, giving his customers that “wow” feeling, engaging his employees and, of course, delivering happiness.

… And yet, something gets lost in the translation to paper.  Continue Reading…

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• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on June 21, 2010
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• Categories: Book Review, Employee Engagement, Insights & Trends

While you were busy figuring out what to spend today’s $59 on, suddenly thinking that having lactose intolerance wouldn’t be that bad, or (shameless plus alert) seeing all the free stuff you could get when you visit Booth #1419 during SHRM 2010 in San Diego!…here’s what was happening in the world of workforce management this week…

• If you or someone you know abuses the “Reply all” button, you should read this.
• Speaking of… if it IS a ‘must-reply-all’ e-mail situation, avoid saying these 23 things.   
• Can you divorce yourself from the family business?
• It’s sort of like Netflix for your business needs.
• Oprah sure knows how to show up every other boss in the world recognize her employees.
• ‘World Cup madness’ takes on a whole new meaning at the office
• The next best thing to reading your employees’ minds.
• U.S. oil spill workers find themselves dealing with a whole other mess. And finally… Continue Reading…

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• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on June 18, 2010
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• Categories: Week in Review

This Sunday is Father’s Day, and while it’s a great excuse to spoil dads everywhere with the latest gadgets, grill supplies, or bacon of the month club memberships, a little extra quality time with Dad might be in order this year, in light of results from CareerBuilder’s annual Father’s Day survey. Continue reading

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• Posted by: Amy Chulik on June 16, 2010
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• Categories: Economy, Employee Engagement, Retention, Survey Results