Category Archives: HR

Amy James

Hesitant to Use Social Media to Recruit? Don’t Be.

Posted: by Filed under: HR, Social Media

I recently had the opportunity to attend a class on recruiting using social media tools.  The class participants worked in a variety of industries, but they all had one thing in common – they weren’t taking advantage of social media sites to find great candidates.  I guess that’s why they were in the class, but it still surprised me how turned off they were to using these tools.

Here are the main concerns that I heard in class and the great ways that Laughlin Constable is using social media:

1. “Our leaders don’t understand the importance of using Facebook for our company.”
In many cases, social media tools like Facebook and Twitter have become the new website for companies.   More people are searching for you on these social sites more than they’re searching for your website.  It’s a great avenue to show the “real” side of your company.  I love that Laughlin Constable has two Facebook pages.  We have one site that focuses on the business side of LC, and another site that focuses on our work environment.  We’ve won many best workplace awards and we want to use Cool Jobs as a means to show potential candidates all of the fun things we do here.  Most interviewees tell me that they’ve checked out our Cool Jobs Facebook page and love all of the things we do for our employees. They can tell this is the type of environment that they’d love to work in.  What better way to showcase the workplace and let candidates see if this is the right fit for them?  I know this was one of the selling points when I did my research during the interview process.

2. “Why would you want to direct all candidates to your company’s Facebook page?”
This question was asked after I told the participants that I direct all applicants to our social sites in my regret email.  It looks something like this:

Please monitor what is happening at LC and thanks again for your interest in Laughlin Constable!
- Link up with us on LinkedIn
- Tweet @CoolJobsAtLC
- Like us on Facebook

We direct all candidates to these sites because we post all of our open positions on these sites.  The more people we have following our sites, the more word spreads about our open positions, the less we have to pay to post our jobs on recruiting websites.  Even if the candidate isn’t a good fit, that person may know someone who is a great fit and spread the word about our open position.  You never know who someone knows.  By the way, the instructor liked my answer to this question and told me I hit the nail on the head!

3. “One of the reasons my company won’t create a Facebook page is because they’re worried that someone will post something negative.  Aren’t you worried about that?”
To be honest, that’s the chance you have to take.   If someone does post a negative comment on your social site, don’t remove it.  The best thing you can do is respond to it in a positive way or ask the user to connect with you offline to discuss the issue further.

I love the fact that I work for a company that embraces technology and finds ways to use it to its advantage.  Don’t be afraid to explore social media and all it has to offer.  You’ll never know where you’ll find your next best hire.

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Joyce O'Brien

Land a cool job – the smart way. Showcase your personal and professional success.

Posted: by Filed under: Agency Life, HR, Trends

We often use Linkedin.com to source talent for Laughlin Constable. It is a great resource because of its focus on professional-minded people within a social setting. We are not alone. 83% of companies will recruit in social networks this year. 36% will spend less time recruiting on the job boards. And 80% said they may review social profiles this year.

Just recently Linkedin got smart and connected with Behance Network, the leading online platform for creative professionals (www.behance.net). Why do we like this? Together they make it possible for creative professionals to “link and sync” their portfolios in both sites — simultaneously with the touch of a button — and paint a broader picture of themselves by telling the whole story using their own words and showcasing their own work. It seems relatively user-friendly too. Simply set up your gallery in Behance, switch over to the Linkedin site, accesses “Portfolio Display” under the application directory and pull in your Behance portfolio — for free.

Often, personal websites do not attract the right audience, especially if you are in a creative industry such as advertising, digital, fashion, design, photography and architecture. Although this feature is rather new, it could help you reach those people more effectively. Plus the simplicity, cost and functionality of this tool might make it a great value (free!), especially when you consider Linkedin’s claims (Linkedin.com).

  • Linkedin reaches a larger mass of senior managers than The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Business Week
  • And we have “The world’s largest audience of affluent, influential professionals.”

These things are mighty attractive to us. We hope you find them interesting too. Let’s hook up on Linkedin.com soon. Remember to Sync in your portfolio and keep it up to date. This new feature should prove to be extremely helpful when we are trying to find the best talent out there — you.

Connect with Us  Twitter  Facebook  LinkedIn

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Joyce O'Brien

The Job Search Has Come Full Circle

Posted: by Filed under: HR, Ideas

Long ago when my dad entered the job market, things were tough.  The country was in the midst of a depression and there weren’t many jobs available.  It didn’t take long before he realized he needed to tap into family, friends and trusted professionals, in order to get his foot in the door and gain employment.  He needed to network to stand out amongst the masses.

As time passed and I grew older, I soon found myself looking for employment as well.  It was time for me to begin supporting myself and I needed to see what was available in the marketplace.  So I ran to the corner gas station, picked up a copy of the local newspaper, circled a few jobs and sent my resume to 10 or 20 companies through snail mail.  Since I had never met the recipients of my resumes, I did my best to highlight my work history and achievements in a concise single page, hoping to catch their attention.

Years went by and soon my kids needed a job.  They searched the big job boards.  Within minutes, they could copy and paste their resumes into the online submission portal, sometimes with only a simple change to the subject line.  Off it went and within minutes they got an automated response from the HR department, thanking them for their patience as all the applicants were screened.  It was a cold and impersonal way for them to get their personal information out there, but it was quick and efficient for them and the HR people.

Come into the present and we find we’ve come full circle.  As in the days of my dad’s job search, jobs are few, times are tough, and we find that one of the best ways to land a job may be through a “connection.”  So I thought we’d put together a few ideas that might help you with your own job search.  Things that may help you get “connected.”

Know your target company. Research them, friend them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter.  I know this sounds weird, but if you get to meet this special person (HR rep or company rep), you might want to treat it like a first date.  Listen intently, show an interest, bring your best attributes to the table and, most importantly, know something about them so you can talk about them too.  Make a connection.

Set up a LinkedIn page and make sure it’s up to date. This way you’re linked or can become connected.  Plus, once set up, recruiters can find you too.  (Yes, we search LinkedIn to stay on top of our industries and follow talent.  We also use it to research you.  And you can research us too!)  Use LinkedIn for networking purposes, joining groups and organizations, and positioning yourself as an expert on a certain topic.  Answer group questions and participate in discussions.  Again, get connected.

And, if possible, set up a website for yourself. Include samples of your work, creative pieces and writing, as it pertains to your profession.  When you write or talk with a recruiter, include your link.  It’s another way to be connected.  Remember, HR people and recruiters are digital creatures too.  We’re out there sharing your social space, looking for a few good people.

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Joyce O'Brien

Employees’ Personal Data

Posted: by Filed under: HR, News

I had the opportunity to participate in an interview with the Wall Street Journal recently that focused on how employers handle employees’ personal data – contacts, pictures, music, etc. – when separation from an organization occurs.

Whether it is a matter of convenience, longer hours, travel for work or the rise of laptops in organizations, more employees are storing personal data on work computers.

As you’ll see in the article, we try very hard to be accommodating with regards to giving back personal data to employees as long as it is not sensitive information. There are checks and balances to this process but more often than not we are able to accommodate the employee so they don’t lose all their valuable information.

This policy is one of many we have in place to be an accommodating organization to our employees and I believe they recognize and appreciate those policies.

Laughlin Constable has been the proud recipient of a number of workplace awards, including: the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility; MetroParent’s Family Friendly Workplace Award in 2006, 2007 and 2008; and numerous Best Places To Work and Beyond The Paycheck Awards 2000-2008.

We are proud of those recognitions and are constantly evaluating how we can make our organization better from a HR perspective.

I’m wondering though, are we in the minority? How do you handle your employees’ personal data?

You can read the article here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124105119428271155.html

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Joyce O'Brien

Performance Evaluations – employees don’t hate them this year!

Posted: by Filed under: HR, News

This year, more than ever, employees are asking their HR teams, “What can I do to improve my work performance?” I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re hearing this question around your office too. It appears to have replaced the “I hate performance evaluations” comments from years gone by. And it remains an important question, especially during these changing times.

Inside many companies, more and more employees are pro-actively seeking timely and meaningful feedback. They are looking for ways to improve their skill sets and level of knowledge. They are discussing their jobs, their careers and their futures with their co-workers, supervisors and HR teams.

Performance management is a topic that’s important to most of us. Kudos to all employees that come forth on their own and open the discussion! Now, more than ever, the quality of our people may determine our future. And we’re thankful the question is on the table.

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