early xmas present for you: a neat online 'to do' list

teux deux

i'm trying it now and it's going well

worth checking out the video first

enjoy...


http://teuxdeux.com/

Video games killed any chance of getting your male staff to work??

Ok - it doesn't scan as well as The Buggles' song title

but I was genuinely shocked to read this report.

I must be getting old...


http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/news/bulletin/weeklyupdatebulletin/article/972827/?DCMP=EMC-Dailynewsalert

I don't normally do recommendations

but here's an exception

If you are an HR professional seeking some career advice or support of whatever nature - here's your man.

Paul is a diamond.
An island of integrity and intelligence in what is often a frothy sea of waffle.

And he hasn't paid me to say it (he doesn't know about this at all)

http://www.thecareergym.co.uk/index.html

you lucky people - here's the reverse of the mailer...

Time for a wee bit of marketing

The postcards have arrived
Time to spread the word....

social recruitment summit NYC this week..

http://blog.alstin.com/social-recruiting-summit-my-take-away-how-to-build-a-social-recruiting-strategy-dashboard

http://blog.alstin.com/social-recruiting-summit-favorite-take-aways

For those of you as convinced as I am that this is the way to go (i.e. go where the candidates go - not where's most convenient for the organisation):

Here are some great tips on what you could be doing to join the party...

Always here to help if you need it of course... social media is increasingly becoming part of the mix.

Bringing you tomorrow today as always folks.

HR job £40k an hour - quick!

grab it whilst you can folks - must be a helluva retailer!!

http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/jobs/jobdetails.htm?ID=6718E470-A695-40B1-94C4-729626245E01&loc=1&loctxt=ls22%207yl&rad=50&sortby=SalaryUpper&sortdir=desc&slo=30000,40000,50000,60000&shi=40000,50000,60000,80000&slo2=80000&shi2=100000&salid=3,4,5,6&distid=2&xmin=359450&xmax=520350&ymin=368950&ymax=529850&xmin2=279000&xmax2=600800&ymin2=288500&ymax2=610300&ps=10&pn=1&iscomplex=False&issecsalary=False


in case they spot it, it currently reads:

HR Business Partner

Salary:

£41400 per hour

Location:

Yorkshire

Organisation:

Michael Page

Posted on PM jobs:

20 October 2009

Job Ref:

MPPX13076467

Deadline:

No deadline specified

The Recruitment Ice Caps are melting...

When it comes to recruitment:

Web 2.0 (& soon to be 3.0) is polar-bear endangering climate change...compared to which the credit crunch is a mere weather front.

Recruitment may not be at the very top of many HR agendas just now - but the talent squeeze hasn''t gone away. During the noughties, candidate behaviours and expectations have changed fundamentally and for ever - regardless of the current jobs market. And that change is accelerating still...

This overview powerpoint of a recent Irish "future of recruitment conference" makes this point very well.. and is well worth a flick though...

http://show.zoho.com/embed?id=523922000000005793&SLIDE=1&P_STIME=0

Sisters are doin' HR for themselves...

Twenty years ago this week I set out on my postgrad' HR Diploma to gain IPM (now CIPD) status.

It wasn't uncommon at that time for mates to ask: "Is that not a woman's career?"
I listened not - and joined another 9 or 10 blokes on a course of around 40.
I went on to enjoy (most of) the challenges of HR enormously - only needing to handle disciplinary and dismissal cases to know it was anything other than a 'soft option.'

Roll forward twenty years to the same week... and I have just completed my first evening as a part time lecturer for the Employee Resourcing module of the self same course. Bizarre enough in itself, but guess how the male / female split looks in these much more enlightened times?

Yep, not one single male in sight, out of a class of 24.

Not a scientific study maybe, but it was a pretty surprising discovery.. As was the fact most students appeared to listen to what I had to say.

More on the still surreal development of me teaching on my old course to follow....

A whole new ball game in performance management...

Office Manager?

Struggling to motivate and manage your people?

Finding them listless and workshy?

Want to pep up the team's performance?

Simple...

Hire the Office Linebacker

You'll never look back

Enjoy >>>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc9dIkWGVI0&feature=player_embedded

Are 5 minute interviews the way to go?

Life is short, certainly shorter than many interviews many of us have endured over the years.

Which is pretty much where Seth Godin is riffing at the moment (see post below) I like self-styled 'guru' Seth... a little left field, sometimes off the scale - but always thought provoking....

This most recent post of his cuts to the quick for many of us experienced in interviewing and selction.

For whilst all that competency / assessment good stuff is indeed a sound insurance policy against 'gut feel' hiring habits....

.... how many times out of 100 do we ever go against our initial assessment?

And how would we feel about widening the potential talent pool by a factor of 12 as he suggests?

It's very "twittery" I guess: "Please talk to us for 140 characters or less - and then send the next guy in on your way out please...."

It could equally be a blueprint for negotiating family gatherings and children's parties...

Blogpost: Two ways to hire (and a wrong way)

The wrong way first: interview someone for an hour. If you like them, have them interview three or four other people in your organization for an hour each.

You've invested five hours of your team's time, but really you only were looking for approval, because you'd already decided you liked the person enough to work with them for years.

All the evidence we've seen shows that this is a lousy predictor of future performance. And, let's tell the truth... if the first three people love the guy, are you really going to let the fourth, junior person veto him? Or is it just an annoying courtesy?

There are two approaches you can use as an alternative.

First, you can work with someone for months before you offer them a job. Your pool is smaller (freelancers, joint venture partners, interns) but the exposure to how they work is spectacularly different. You don't get the thrill of finding a pearl in the oyster, the "wow, I found the most incredible hire!" bragging rights. Instead, you get exactly what you expect. Organizing for this sort of hiring isn't particularly difficult, particularly in a down economy. Not surprisingly, I've had 100% success doing this.

Second, and with some controversy, you can admit that an hour interview is actually a five minute sniff test followed by 55 minutes of wasted time, multiplied by four colleagues. Tell the truth and switch to five minute interviews.

If you do five minute initial interviews, you can interview 12 times as many people for each job opening. This initial filtering takes precisely as much time as your wasted one-hour approach, but dramatically increases the chance you'll find someone you actually have good pheromone and body language connection with. After the screening, I can only encourage you to do the projects, reference checks and other serious diligence you're probably too exhausted to do after spending all those hours with one person...

This process takes a lot of work, but it definitely works. If you can interview 60 people in a day or two and then have the three best fits do projects, presentations and freelance work for you, you're way ahead of a company that interviewed only three people and fell in love with one.

The ultimate management role model....

Yes - in this of all weeks - it's big Freddie!

You can read all your Jim Collins, Tom Peters & co.. but it seems the heart of a lion matched with the thirst of a dry-throated fish is the way to go to be a great leader...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8209072.stm

Very much my kind of role model I have to say....

Hey Presto - we're all suddenly "engaged" ....

A 20% rise in engagement levels in a year - heyy, everyone's become like.. totally.. like enlightened maan.

Well maybe not, for engaged - read more grateful, less likely to be surfing amazon & ebay at lunchtime - and scared to death by the monthly unemployment figures.

I'd say that's not so much engagement as understandable pragmatism in the face of tough times.

For all those employers relying on the downturn to tackle the engagement challenge .. look out when the market turns properly and the talent squeeze starts to hurt...

Madam ZaZa predicts tears and heartbreak, as the 'engaged' jilt hitherto soul mates for new and more exciting relationships...



Here's the original source material from HR magazine:

Seven out of ten employees feel engaged in their job now, compared to 50% in November 2008, according to Best Companies.

The engagement firm set out to find how employees were feeling about the recession and discovered 33% did not feel worried about the downturn and did not think their performance had been affected - down from 38% in November.

Three in ten employers are grateful to have a job compared to two in ten back in November 2008, the survey relealed.

But in order to be more engaged, men and women both agree the things that need to change in their workplace, but order them differently.

For men it is more money (59%), more interesting work (36%) and recognition for a job well done (33%), while for women it is more money (57%), recognition (42%) and more interesting work (35%).

Jonathan Austin, CEO and founder of Best Companies, said: "With the fear of redundancy ever-present and the cost of living creeping up, money is more of a motivator for people than it might have been before. But for those organisations that do not have the luxury of digging deep into their pockets there are plenty of other ways to incentivise staff, such as flexible working which our data indicates has a significant impact on engagement levels and simply saying thank you and recognising employees' efforts can really boost morale."

Social media helps jobseekers says new research...

Online Social Networks Boost Opportunities for Young Job Seekers

London, 18 June 2009 - A third of employers now use social networking sites to connect with potential recruits meaning it's not what you know but how you promote yourself on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn that counts.

Research by global recruitment consultants Harvey Nash and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) reveals that, in a bid to boost traditional recruitment methods and reach out to a wider pool of talent, social networks are increasingly becoming a mainstream recruitment tool.

Half of employers believe that if candidates invest time in developing a strong online brand using social networks and networking online, they are more likely to be hired.

Almost a quarter of employers routinely use sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn as part of their recruitment processes. Fifteen per cent said they would miss key new recruits if they didn't tap into to social networks.

Matthew Garratt, HR Manager for figleaves.com said:

"At figleaves.com social network sites like LinkedIn and Facebook have become absolutely critical in finding new hires. Not only do they give us access to people who we might not find elsewhere, but they are also an excellent way to understand more about the candidate beyond just their CV. Certainly for figleaves.com, job seekers who have a strong online presence do stand out from the crowd, and we would encourage more people to invest in their online 'brand'."

However, young jobseekers could be missing out on certain opportunities by failing to pick up on this trend. Although 92 per cent of online 18-24 year olds are registered on a social networking site, just one in 10 (12%) agreed they currently use these sites to get job leads or make useful career contacts.

Commenting on the potential of social networking in a tough jobs market, social networking expert, Dan Rutherford, said:

"Employers are increasingly looking for new recruits who have a strong online brand."

"A good place to start is with your Facebook profile. Use it as a personal ad detailing your skills and qualifications. You could even post your CV in hope that it catches the eye of a prospective employer. Now it's time to start working your profile. Nobody will see your CV unless you point them in the right direction. You can do this by searching interest groups and joining any that match your skills or experience. It can be a great way of making useful contacts and networking within relevant fields."

"Twitter is another great way of networking and keeping track of employers that are actively recruiting. Lots of employers post job openings on Twitter and by letting your followers know your employment situation they might be able to pass on job leads that you weren't aware of."

Rob Grimsey, Strategic Development Director of Harvey Nash, said: "As UK employers continue to face difficulties recruiting, it's staggering that 44% of employers think social networking will only become important in the future. What they need to realise is professional networking has already begun and is here to stay; just ask the one-third of employers who are successfully doing it right now."

"While real-world networking and traditional job services remain invaluable, web savvy job seekers should act now to gain the competitive edge as online networking helps jobseekers stay well connected and get career-informed"

"Peer-to-peer relationships, nurtured online and offline, are at the heart of the 'new' recruitment experience. It is essential for job seekers to wisen up to how employers are looking for candidates in order to remain competitive."

How job searchers can use their online profile to attract employers:

• If you decide to use Facebook for professional networking, take a close look at your profile and decide what you want business contacts or prospective employers to see - and what you don't!
  
• Sign-up to Linked-In if you haven't already
  
• Track potential employers and recruitment consultancies on Twitter
  
• Don't leave a blank or incomplete profile. A full profile gives people the best opportunity to get to know you.
  
• Post content relevant to your job search but limit the photos you post.
  
• Network strategically - connect to people who can help with your job search.
  
• Think about joining interest groups which fit your field of interest.
  
• Finally, don't limit activity to online social networks. It's useful to speak to recruitment agencies with expertise in your local labour market. You can also view Britain's largest database of job vacancies at www.direct.gov.uk/backtowork to see who's recruiting in your area.

Notes to Editors

1. Polling of 1,224 young people, across Great Britain, aged 18-24 years on their attitudes towards social networking was carried out online by YouGov between 22nd and 26th May 2009 combined with a joint DWP and Harvey Nash online survey of 208 employers across Great Britain between 22nd and 29th May 2009.

If Google really is taking over the world, I think I like it....

My previous effort is possibly the quickest web post to become out of date since King Harold tweeted: "@haroldI: all going well, the arrows look very small" from atop his horse at the Battle of Hastings.

Now, I may be slow on the uptake here (a week is a long time in webland these days) but I've just discovered Google Wave.. and it looks like it's going to be very special indeed.

http://mashable.com/2009/05/28/google-wave/

For some potential applications to the Talent / Engagement agenda:

- think internal comms / skills networks for ideas sharing and collaboration
- think alumni groups coming together
- think brand building and reputation management
- and consider the view that this is may well be how God intended email to work in the first place

Google Wave. Tell your friends where you heard about it first...(unless it wasn't here of course)

Hope I'll be bringing more ideas on how to ride the Wave later this year...!

social media - the new and the soon-to-be obsolete...

Good piece here to keep you updated on the movers and shakers in social media. No surprises on the twitter front - and it does looks like Mr Murdoch made a rather large mistake spending oodles to acquire myspace....

Still think twitter has a way to go - that way being us all having cheap mobile web on our handsets....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/may/21/twitter-myspace-bebo-nytimes-growth-decline?commentpage=1

wikipedia

Perhaps the most remarkable feature of wikipedia is that it has so quickly become the first point of call as a reference point for so many of us. In short, it's a genuine phenomenon.

By and large we trust it... it's quite possibly the best example of the wisdom of crowds - as per my earlier post.

These thoughts triggered by this excellent piece from the ever-insightful John Naughton in the Observer last week.. well worth a read:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/apr/05/digital-media-referenceandlanguages

SME' Recruiters: Proceed directly to Web 2.0.. & save £££££k's

Had a great chat today with Peter Gold, who if he wasn't so self-effacing may best be described as a guru on the subject of social media and Talent Technology (see his blog on my Bloglist here...)

I shared my view that those recruiters who hadn't yet 'gone digital' are better placed than ever to grasp the nettle now.. and as Peter added 'virtually for free...'

Just as many developing nations have eschewed investing in hard-wired telecoms networks and jumped straight to mobile, so those who haven't developed sophisticated attraction sites, job sites and applicant tracking systems are now in a great position to act...

With a secure facebook profile here, a pay-as-you-go tracking system there (and the odd tweet in the background) why should an SME be persuaded they need to throw tens of thousands at a recruitment site anymore? Talent attraction has never been more in the clients hands.. with a little insight to set you on your way...

Feel free to get in touch if you want to know just how it's done.. ;-)

Telling Porkies?

"Absence rates related to cough, cold or flu-like symptoms have increased over 8% in the UK since the widely-reported outbreak of swine flu according to an absence management firm, FirstCare" (from a database of 60,000 employees)


Now, far from me to minimise the seriousness of the current outbreak - but does this stat not say more about UK attitudes to work and current levels of worker engagement than about health scares and porcine pandemics?

No data was available as to whether things were any worse on Fry-days....

Enough...

"How to nail an interview"

With all respect to Seth Godin for flagging this on his blog (see my blog links) - this is a very useful guide to interviews - mixed with some great video clips from real interviews to make you smile...

Current favourite is the woman who shares that she's moved into the area due to her husband's job.. as he "hunting professionally for Sasquatch" (i.e. Bigfoot!). The interviewer's spontaneous laughter is a treat. Her interview notes probably read: Abominable. No, ma'am. (sorry!)

Enjoy...

http://www.howtonailaninterview.com/

Grass cuttings and the Wisdom of Crowds..

I was looking out the window early this morning - and noticed all the brown (garden refuse) wheelie bins out for collection (it's every other Thursday if you need to know). Thank goodness for the wisdom of crowds, as it had slipped my mind yet again. This despite my wife ("the expert") advising me of the need to roll out said bin only the night before....

Collective judgement is a better bet than any small number of individual experts, according to James Surowiecki, author of the very readable Wisdom of Crowds.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wisdom-Crowds-Many-Smarter-Than/dp/0349116059/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239880849&sr=1-1

One 'neat' (yes he's a native New Yorker) stat to drop into your next dinner party: contestants who "ask the audience" in Who Wants to be a Millionaire can expect 91% of their answers to be correct. Ask your chosen 'expert' via phone a friend - and it's just 65%.

Not a brand new book, but a good one none the less... the official microsite to the book is a good place to start if you' want to find out more...

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/wisdomofcrowds/index.html


Now when's the green recycling bin due?

Why hiring is paradoxically harder in a downturn...

Interesting reading here from over the pond - hopefully complements well my "Counterintuition"post from last month..

Comments and feedback on this most welcome...

http://blog.summation.net/2009/03/why-hiring-is-paradoxically-harder-in-a-downturn.html

Business suspended in respect for Dan

Apologies for lack of action here, but the last week or 2 has been one of great sadness, with the tragic loss of my best friend, Dan Devine -a very special man indeed as can be seen here:

http://danieldevine09.blogspot.com/

Normal business will be resumed very soon I hope...

Mike

Spotify... literally he greatest thing since bread came ready sliced...

Having just (ahem) 'dissed' Twitter - I thought it only fair to redress the balance and praise to the skies one of the greatest ever developments on the web.

If you like music - have your world - and memories - opened up in a matter of seconds here..

http://www.spotify.com/

It follows Volvos, Abba, Ikea and Ingrid Bergmann into the Swedish Hall of Fame... and more seriously, begs the profound question - why does anyone need to 'own' music anymore?

Explained in full here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5908344.ece

Would be great to hear what you think via the comments section....

Stating the obvious...

The answer to around 95% of work 'challenges' lies somewhere between common sense and the blindingly obvious. It's that elephant thing - if it looks, smells, feels and is the size of an elephant - the answer is... unlikely to be wrapping up a shed load of dodgy self-cert mortgages inside a box called AAA and selling on them to the next greedy mug...

Didn't the likes of RBS & Lehmans always try hiring people who "think out of the box"?

As you were...

HR priorities in a Recession

Recessions have a habit of blowing down already unsteady edifices. Woolworths may have collapsed under the weight of the recession, but its foundations had long been undermined. The big issues for poor old Woolies were always there and had bever been resolved (Who are we? Who are our customers? what do they want? )

There's something in this for HR people to ponder. For despite the howling winds blowing papers all over your desk just now, those fundamental matters of People Stategy.... you know, the stuff you spent most of last year working on ?... are still there.

Here's 4 thoughts to help frame your HR thinking in days like these...

Don’t throw your People Strategy overboard.
You’ve worked hard to establish a meaningful and robust people plan for the business – and it’s all still valid. Keep on with your change programmes, leadership development, engagement levers, succession planning and reputation building. Your budgets may be cut, your immediate hiring needs diminished, your trading conditions difficult. These may be reasons to slow the pace – but not to change tack altogether.

Communicate honestly and regularly with your people.
The current problems are not of their doing – but they will play a huge part in helping you prosper. You need them to be with you through these choppy waters, and they deserve to know just what is going on and where the business is heading. They may not always like what they hear – but acting with integrity now will yield a great dividend going forward.

Use the current climate to your advantage.
For every organisation that grasps the initiative people wise – many more will continue to imitate rabbits in the face of oncoming headlights. Engaging your people right now will be tough – but will reap enormous benefits both short and long term.

Continue to build candidate relationships. You most likely know where your key talent gaps will be going forward, so forge relationships with tomorrow’s potential hires today – even if you are not in a position to offer. How good would it feel to be approached just now and told you are wanted? Very.

Be busy.. and use that extra time wisely.
Dormant Resourcing teams, how about cracking on with reviewing your PSL’s, advertising arrangements and any other suppliers? For one – you’ll probably have the time to do so; for another you hold all the cards right now – and above all perhaps it’s your best opportunity to deliver genuine cost savings and demosnstrable added value in 2009, which is no bad idea in itself if you get my drift...

Are Ryanair quite literally taking the p.... ?

I've quite a thing about Reputation Management. It's the corporate version of good manners. I talk to clients about it regularly. So what I'd give for a few minutes on the subject with the perennially unpleasant and arrogant Mr O'Leary. My sentiments are with the frontline staff who will no doubt take the flak first hand...and for any future passenger with no loose change.

Ryanair may charge for toilet use on planes...

Irish carrier Ryanair, Europe's largest budget airline, might start charging passengers for using the toilet while flying, chief executive Michael O'Leary said on Friday.

"One thing we have looked at in the past and are looking at again is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the toilet door so that people might actually have to spend a pound to spend a penny in future," he told BBC television.

He said this would not inconvenience passengers travelling without cash. "I don't think there is anybody in history that has got on board a Ryanair aircraft with less than a pound."

O'Leary has a reputation as a cost cutter, expanding Ryanair by offering low headline fares and charging extra for items such as additional luggage.

Last week, Ryanair announced it was to shut all check-in desks at airports and have passengers check in online instead.

"We're all about finding ways of raising discretionary revenue so we can keep lowering the cost of air travel," he said.

Mr O should maybe seek to learn the lesson of Ratners the Jewellers.. never take the p..roverbial out of your customers....

Counterintuition

I spend a lot of my time talking to senior HR professionals and recruitment-related suppliers. Which in the current climate is like hanging round with Victor Meldrew with nothing but Radiohead loaded onto your i-pod

However, there are many shafts of light through the gloom - with the progressive wing of the HR community doing some pretty smart things at the moment - not least by communicating with - and investing in - their existing talent.

Moreover - if the only certainty out there is that the storm will at some point pass - then the Talent Crunch which so preoccupied agendas just 12 months ago is very much back in play.

Truth is, even if output levels were to remain as they are now - most knowledge-led businesses are going to struggle to find and keep the talent their business will need for future prosperity.

So to the counterintuitive bit...

This is in fact a great time to hire in top drawer talent. The sort that can make your business perform tangibly better - and that you may not always have been in the market for in the past. They'll be more than wowed to be approached in the current climate - and hugely impressed that you are strong, bold and healthy enough to be investing in your people.

It shouldn't mean rising wage costs if you're reviewing and rationalising your skill base continously - which is good business practice at the best of times. So go grab yourself a bargain whilst they're out there. All you need now is an Employer Brand Proposition, but that's for another day...

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt"

Sadly not one of my own - but a profound Bertrand Russell quote to be found inside this great little piece from The Guardian. I've always been very interested in the Peter Principle; such a cheery thought that we're all on the way to being in the wrong job.

The new US research referred to serves only to back up our man Peter's theory. If you're after a recent example - look no further than the shameless hubris of the Banking heads at the Treasury Select Committee a couple of weeks ago.

Do run an eye over this brief article - there's some fundamental posers in here for all of us interested in the talent agenda...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/10/burkeman-work-incompetence-skills-wellbeing

Fancy reading the whole 14 pages of 'Unskilled and Unaware of it?' Then chuckle along with those laugh-a-minute psychologists from Cornell University (no I don't know where that is either) here: http://www.apa.org/journals/features/psp7761121.pdf

Gen Y me?

It seems only yesterday the trendspotters were introducing us to a ground breaking Generation they called Y. So called, apparently, because they came after Generation X (these 'trendspotters' truly were visionaries – pity they didn’t see the credit crunch coming).

Anyway - back to the Y'ers... you know the ones – the globetrotting, job-hopping, post modern, ad-savvy digital natives who were going to hold the whip hand when it came to employment.

Use conventional methods of communication - and they would plain refuse to buy anything from us, work for us or even talk to us.

If you did manage to hire these gadflies - you were lucky to have their talent loaned to you - however temporarily that night be.

Or so the received wisdom told us. In fact, much of "Gen Y" was an invention of the wittering classes. Student loans and McJobs remained the norm - as graduate supply outstripped demand like never before. City living as lifestyle choice? Most would still have swapped their call centre bonuses for a 2 bed terrace and a career.

Sadly, too many of Gen Y did believe the hype, consuming too many artificial supplements via the weekend papers - and living beyond their means in what it now transpires were indeed the good times. Now they’re scouring the job sites, honing their frankly bare CV’s – and feeling slightly ashamed for spending a year’s gas bill on an easyjet stag weekend only 12 months ago.

The moral of the story? Spend less time trying to fulfil a lifestyle someone else invented for you. Or better still - listen to your mother – she really is the only such thing as a free lunch.