Archive | April, 2010

The Recruiters Lounge: Women and The Wage Gap

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Top Recruiting Blogs aggregator

What do you think about this comment?

“The “wage gap” is not so much about employers discriminating against women as about women making discriminating choices in the labor market.” .

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Personal Branding Interview: Amber MacArthur

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Dan Schawbel

Today, I spoke to Amber MacArthur, who is a new media host/producer, strategist, speaker, and author of Power Friending. In this interview, Amber talks about her new book, how to stand out, how to show ROI in social media, and more.

What is “Power Friending” and how did you get the idea for the name?

I got the idea of “Power Friending” when I was thinking about how the Internet has changed the definition of a friend and how important it was for businesses to learn more about this changing definition.  When practicing social media, it’s key to work hard and push the boundaries, so I think the “Power” reference is significant.

What makes you stand out amongst the new media crowd? What do you recommend to others who are having difficulty standing out?

I’ve been participating in social media for most of my career. As far as having trouble standing out, I think it’s important to communicate in the social media space on a regular basis.  Consistency is the only way you will see results.  Think of practicing social media like going to the gym; if you only go once a week, chances are you won’t get the body you want.

Why are so many people having trouble showing real business value when it comes to social media?

I think a lot of businesses are looking for a return on investment in the form of money, but the reality is that social media is simply another way to market and it’s difficult to calculate direct ROI.  However, there is definitely return on engagement.  In other words, you can build community and loyalty, which leads to sales.

What success stories have you seen for personal and corporate brands?

Zappos is perhaps one of best examples of social media done well, so I encourage everyone online to learn from them.  From listing employee tweets on their website to their CEO’s active online life, Zappos has grown from the inside out.  They’ve made social media a priority inside the company, so it’s been easier to build community externally.

How have you developed your own personal brand and turn it into a book deal with Portfolio?

I’ve always tried to have a strong presence online and respond to emails, messages, tweets, etc. with a personal touch. As for my book deal with Portfolio, the timing was right for me since I have turned my new media expertise into a career on the speaking circuit and a book is a natural fit.  Portfolio represents many great authors in the digital space, so I’m honored that they signed me on.

—–
Amber MacArthur is a new media host/producer, strategist, and speaker. She is the author of Power Friending. Most recently Amber worked at Citytv as its New Media Specialist in 2006, reporting on new media and interactive news and trends on a national news program and hosting/producing Webnation, a half-hour current affairs program about internet culture. Prior to Citytv, Amber spent two years working as a TV host/producer with tech guru Leo Laporte at G4techTV, a national television channel entirely devoted to technology. Amber also developed “commandN,” a popular video podcast that covers online and offline technology trends. Aside from experience in the broadcast industry, Amber spent four years as a web strategist at Razorfish and software start-up HigherMarkets, both in San Francisco. She also worked as a web strategy manager for Microsoft Canada, but she is a Mac fan at heart.

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The Recruiters Lounge: 8 Killer Interview Questions – Candidates to Ask the Interviewer

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Top Recruiting Blogs aggregator

If you are facing a job interview, you may not think about asking questions yourself when in fact, you can and should. There are many great reasons you should ask questions in a job interview. For one, you want to make sure you are really the right person for the job. You also want to be sure the position you are interviewing for is what you understand it to be.

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College Recruiter Blog: Most U.S. Employers Report They’ve Gone Green

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Top Recruiting Blogs aggregator

Going "green" in the workplace can lead to more green in the bank according to a new survey released today from Buck Consultants, an independent subsidiary of ACS, A Xerox Company. The survey showed that the number of U.S. employers... Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com

The Recruiters Lounge: Should Your Company Get Rid of HR?

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Top Recruiting Blogs aggregator

A lot of businesses like to chatter about the importance of their people. This is little more than lip service to the minions.

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should I extend my internship?

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Ask a Manager

A reader writes:

I am currently doing an unpaid internship that I am receiving college credit for this semester. I really enjoy working with my manager and after reading your previous post on extending the length of an internship, I decided to ask my manager about it. She was fine with it when I asked; however, she is always so busy between meetings, dealing with employees and doing her own work that I am often left just sitting there in her office watching her or I am asked to leave when she has an important meeting with someone. It's an internship where I am given random stuff to do so I do not have an actual desk/computer or any routine work that I can do when I come in. I tried talking to her about it a bit, but she only admited that her work keeps her busy.

What I like about it is that I can receive credit for a class and also, she really does try to do her best to make time for me when she can, but I feel like I am in her way or bothering her in her work at times. Is this worth extending the internship?


Well, first, I don't think you should make your decision based on a worry that you're in your manager's way. If you are, that's her issue to deal with -- by not saying yes to the extension. You're better off just having faith that she'll tell you if she can't accommodate the internship anymore, since otherwise you risk driving yourself crazy worrying that you're secretly burdening her.

Now, as for whether or not to extend the internship: It depends on what you want to get out of it. If you feel like you're learning things and getting useful experience, then sure. But otherwise, I would move on and look at other interning or volunteer opportunities that will benefit you in ways that this one isn't. I can't actually tell from your letter whether you feel like you're getting much out of this one or not; much of what you wrote sounds like it's not the most fruitful experience for you, but you do say that you're enjoying it, and I can't tell if you're bored or not, so a lot depends on that.

However, if you do want to stay, look for ways to improve the experience. Do you see projects that might be useful for you to take on? Or can you talk to her about whether there's something that you might work on long-term so that she doesn't need to spend time coming up with ways to occupy you? The best project in this situation would be something that would (a) benefit the company in some way, (b) not require tons of guidance from her, (c) take a good chunk of your time, and (d) not be high-risk, meaning that if it doesn't go perfectly, nothing disastrous will happen (so that she won't feel the only way you could do it is with a lot of guidance or oversight from her). 

But you can also always look at other internships out there. You might end up in something you like better, so I'd take a look at what other options you have as well. Good luck!

in which I am accused of being a bitter old woman

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Ask a Manager

Someone does not like me very much and thinks I may be "older" and bitter.

Ha ha.

LeadershipNow 140: April 2010 Compilation

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Leading Blog: A Leadership Blog

twitter

twitter Here are a selection of tweets from April 2010:
  • Leadership—It's (Much) More than Position - Imagining the Future of Leadership Series-Harvard Business Review http://bit.ly/d3LH7y
  • Scott Eblin: Three Dozen Predictable Situations That Executives Will Face in Their Careers http://bit.ly/d1cp0S
  • "He's great, but there’s something missing." What It Means to Lead with Presence by John Baldoni
  • FT: Think clearly in a crisis and be decisive by Stefan Stern http://bit.ly/ahXZhM
  • Often when we talk about great leaders, we mean great managers. Much of leadership training is about developing formal skills needed to be great manager.
  • 6 Steps to Greater Than Yourself by Steve Farber http://bit.ly/9eNpR7
  • FREE eBook: Meeting of the Living Dead | New Rules of Work http://bit.ly/b6JfMV (PDF)
  • JohnBaldoni: Is there a way to defend yourself without being defensive? http://s.hbr.org/9ZNbnm
  • C.K. Prahalad: The Responsible Manager by Bret L. Simmons http://bit.ly/9x5TlZ
  • Dr David Ballard: Study suggest moral actions may increase capacity for willpower & physical endurance http://j.mp/dhktmk
  • Tom Peters: Putting my stake in the ground on this: EXCELLENCE IS NOT AN "ASPIRATION." EXCELLENCE IS THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES
  • Brian Davis: Doing what is right no matter what it costs you > http://bit.ly/aIol6m
  • "Your ego is not your friend and does not have your best interests at heart." @scottleadership http://bit.ly/bp8TFg
  • Wally Bock: Book Review: Appetite for America http://bit.ly/dr3ZR5 Great review of a important part of bus/cultural history
  • Paul Johnson: Great Leaders Listen and Tell the Truth via @forbes http://cptl.st/90NHvY
  • What leaders do, as distinct from from what leadership is, has changed dramatically.
  • @NewRulesofWork: New blog post: First rule of Management is showing up http://ow.ly/1xFCo Too many mgrs missing in action.
  • 10 Famous, Inspirational Leaders and Their Favorite Books http://bit.ly/cof0wx
  • @rosasay: Have you tried Smashwords yet? My free ebook there: http://ow.ly/1yyCD Become an Alaka‘i Manager in 5 Weeks
  • @coachgoldsmith: "To Help Others Develop, Start with Yourself" http://bit.ly/d2TtdE | Good read!
  • @tom_peters: Must read Washington's "Rules of Civility"-110 rules which guided this quintessential gentlemen | http://bit.ly/c6BsB
  • FT: Dear Lucy: Lesson in learning to lead from where you are http://bit.ly/9GDsct
  • “By the end of this course, I hope to be the least important person in this room” says Wendy Richmond (what leadership sounds like)
  • @DavidWeedmark: It's time to Re-define Leadership http://bit.ly/cQzoFV
  • Ten Things to Stop Avoiding by @mjasmus http://bit.ly/9m6jsy
  • @RosabethKanter: A leadership pause: Great leaders have often lost power, struggled, then returned as better leaders http://bit.ly/blN2GE
  • @LeaderTalk: A Crisis of Confidence http://bit.ly/cjxBDQ Getting past the "disorientation phase of the learning cycle"
  • You can’t teach an old dog new tricks because you wear out before the dog does.
  • @mikemyatt: The importance of leading change: http://bit.ly/aXieQZ
  • The Economist: Psychology of power http://ow.ly/1vQSJ Power corrupts, but it corrupts only those who think they deserve it
  • To innovate: We have to be willing to risk looking like we don't know the answer, or maybe even the question.
  • "It's easy to be a short-term hero." Paul Polman CEO of Unilever in FT
  • The Collapse of Complex Business Models: http://bit.ly/cwIwxq
  • Strategy+Business: Management by Reflection http://ow.ly/1tRZH The most powerful way to learn is by reflecting on your own experience
See more on twitter Twitter.

HR and Indie Culture

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Steve

One of the mainstays of the 'business' blog world is the occasional book review post.  Bloggers get pitched by PR agencies or writers all the time to see if there is interest in reading and potentially reviewing the latest work on management, marketing, leadership -  you name it.  Other times bloggers provide their take on one of the popular business books of the day that have a subject matter in line with their blog's focus and target audience.

Some recent (and good) examples of this kind of review are Paul Hebert's look at 'Switch', or Kris Dunn's take on 'Linchpin'. Switch is all about influencing people to change, right in Paul's sweet spot, and Linchpin, with its focus on results and getting stuff done aligns well with some of the recurring themes of Kris' blog.

I don't write many book reviews on this site, since in the case of books like Switch or Linchpin I am either a bit late to the party, or don't really have much to add to or improve upon what people like Paul and Kris (and lots of others) have already covered. More so, in the case of the majority of books I read, they are not really in line with the realm of what this blog is (theoretically) about, technology and HR topics.

So when I picked up Kaya Oakes' 'Slanted and Enchanted : The Evolution of Indie Culture' a few weeks ago I did not intend on writing about it on the blog. I am actually not sure why I bought the book, maybe I was a bit tired of reading about how to convince people to do stuff they really do not want to do, or undergoing more admonitions of how to be fantastic and awesome by just being fantastic and awesome.  Possibly it was the cool looking cover.

Either way, after completing the book I felt like posting about it. Not so much a 'review' but just some observations of the similarities between indie culture and what is going on in the HR space lately. The book is essentially about the history and evolution of so-called indie culture, that is creative works done outside the 'mainstream' of corporations and organizations and without much concern about the viability or financial rewards.

In the book's retelling of the origins, early heroes, development, and export of indie music, books, art, and design I saw some parallels in the creation, distribution, and eventual attempted absorption by big corporate interests of indie culture, and some of what is starting to happen in the HR and Talent world where this little blog (and hundreds of others) reside.

When I think about the growing influence of the HR and recruiting blogs, radio shows, and bootstrapped 'unofficial' Unconferences in the Human Resources community it seems to me not unlike some of the stories in Slanted and Enchanted. Death Cab for Cutie gets a major label deal and makes regular appearances on The OC, and HR bloggers now routinely get press credentials to 'mainstream' HR events, get asked to make speeches or sit on panels, and many major and entrenched organizations and associations are trying to figure out how to understand, embrace, and possibly even absorb elements of this growing 'indie' movement in HR.

I think it is fantastic the the 'Indie HR' community is getting more recognition, notice, and is gaining (subtly) in influence with the mainstream HR world.  But here is the thing, as 'Indie HR' gains acceptance and gets more intertwined with 'traditional' HR is it in danger of losing what makes it so vibrant and meaningful?  Will it get toned down, homogenized, or otherwise turned into just another extension of the status-quo?

Last thought, in 'Slanted and Enchanted' Kaya Oakes says this about what being 'indie' really means:

Independence means rebellion, risk, tenacity, innovation, and resistance to convention.

She was referring to art, music, and poetry.  For those of us in 'Indie HR' we could be talking about interviewing, social networking, performance management - you get the picture.

As Indie HR goes more mainstream, can it still remain rebellious?  Or will it resort to making VH1-friendly videos and counting the royalties?

Who will win the crown? Ms. LMS will be decided today!

Posted on 30 April 2010 by Tiffany Appleby

This afternoon a new Ms. Learning Management Systems will be crowned.  Who will it be?  Will GeoLearning successfully defend their crown?  SumTotal Systems and Cornerstone OnDemand are ready to fight their way to the top!

For those that aren’t familiar with HRchitect’s wildly popular Beauty Pageant Webinar Series, here’s what you need to know:

  • Top vendors compete for your votes, bragging rights, and the illustrious title of Ms. Learning Management Systems
  • Each vendor has 10 minutes to present, than takes audience questions during the interview portion of the pageant

HRchitect has developed a format to help guide each vendor on an outline of what should be covered during each portion of the pageant.

Evening gown – To start off each portion, we ask the vendor to come out in their best ‘outfit’ – corporate overview, history, specific identity, financial viability, marquee clients, leadership team, etc. This will be the grand entrance.

Swimsuit – Here the vendors will show some skin in this portion – usability, configurability, etc.

Talent – This portion will cover functionality, technology/integration, global ability, etc.

Interview – This will be the Q & A section from the audience.

Don’t miss this exciting event to help crown the winner and learn more about our contestants!  The pageant starts at 11AM Central and registration is available here.


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