Archive for November, 2009

Recently, I had the opportunity to be a guest blogger at http://www.rceuro.com. What I’ve discovered is the issues that we consider critical here in the US are also relevant in the UK and Europe. Bridges are being crossed regularly. Bill Boorman is in the midst of planning another unconference, Trulondon 2. Several of my colleagues are going to be track leaders. This is incredibly exciting because as we share our experiences and best demonstrated practices, we begin to build new bridges over which we can cross for continued success. We live in a global business environment. Therefore, it makes sense to network with our colleagues abroad. What I hope to do is to learn more about what my colleagues in Europe are doing, while offering a window into my world as well. In so doing, we continue to grow, and strengthen our organizations in the process.

Twitter has opened new doors, built new bridges, and extended hands around the world. It is so moving to guest blog on other people’s blogs, particularly when I can reach global business colleages.
Today I was studying an article produced by http://shrm.org. Telecommuting is a compelling alternative in the global environment.

Considering we are working remotely more and more, it was interesting to read the following statistics. Employees report higher productivity and job satisfaction. This is what the data from this article reveled. I quote the following:

“When employees were asked about their time working remotely:

* 83 percent said their ability to communicate and collaborate with workers was the same, if not better, as when they worked on-site.
* 75 percent said the timeliness of their work improved.
* 69 percent reported higher productivity. Sixty percent of the time they saved via telecommuting they applied to work; the other 40 percent they applied to personal use.
* 67 percent of workers said the overall quality of their work improved.

Sixty-three percent of managers supervise more than one teleworking employee. The typical employee telecommutes two days per week, the survey found. When they are not telecommuting, the average round-trip commute varied according to the region where they live:

* United States and Canada, 30 miles.
* Asia-Pacific, 14 miles.
* Europe, 46 miles.
* Japan, 26 miles.
* Emerging markets, 16 miles. ”

SHRM is a valuable resource for research and trends. I am grateful for drawing upon this article to make a point. Telecommuting is going to shape the way we work. It’s not just a matter of a preference to work from home, nor an unwillingness to drive to the office.

What this article reveals (while it was based on a study done with Cisco employees) is that people are looking for new ways to work more efficiently and effectively. Telecommuting not only gives one the opportunity to deliver work around the country, but also builds bridges around the world.

I’m quite sure this will be fodder for discussion, and I welcome your comments.

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HR Carnival: Compassion in Action

Today, I am deeply moved:

Mike VanDerVort posted 77 posts to the HR Carnival site.  Not only am I touched that my colleagues took the time to participate, I am grateful that so many HR professionals work to put compassion to action.

Gratitude:

Gratitude is an action word.  Being thankful is a state of mind. Being grateful comes with the responsibility of giving back. Even if we take baby steps in doing so, each random act of kindness makes a difference.  My colleague Mike is giving money to a charity-in connection with our posts to HR Carnival. I understand that other colleagues will match his gift.  These esteemed colleagues are living examples of gratitude in action.

Compassion:

A definition:

The Dictionary suggests as stated below that compassion is the awareness of suffering-associated with a commitment to do something to alleviate pain in others.  What warms my heart about the concept of this edition of HR Carnival is that each person who participated this week is making a difference in their own special way.  Each of my colleagues selected a charity that they support.  Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” By participating in this week’s HR Carnival, my colleagues are doing just that.

Step by step, inch by inch practitioners of HR are becoming the change they want to see, because they are doing something important to pave the wave to organizational leadership and excellence.  This is one of the blessings I count the day before thanksgiving.  I am proud to be associated with such a tremendous group of colleagues.  Thanks to each of you, my readers for supporting dynamic compassion—for supporting gratitude in action. 

My brand is that of customer service evangelism.  This too, is compassion in action.  May each of us take the spirit of giving back into our thanksgiving.

com·pas·sion     (k m-p sh n) KEY 

NOUN:

Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it. See Synonyms at pity.

In the final analysis-Compassion is also a verb! Give back and find out why.

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For those of us in HR-every day-is one to give thanks. Passionate about my work, writing gives me an outlet for my creativity.

Many people, like myself, find themselves unemployed right before the holidays. It’s hard to give thanks during a recession. Transition has its challenges. However, I can find so many things for which I can give thanks.

1) Regardless of what I lose, I will never lose my faith. Even when times are hard, I have an unshakable foundation.

2) Health. It sounds so cliche’ yet I lost my Mother, Father, and Brother in the past few years. I have a friend who’s fighting cancer. I am so deeply grateful for my strong body and mind. Family: I am blessed to have a son I simply adore. He is my sunshine. (no, I didn’t want to make that a separate bullet point). G-d, family and health go hand in hand.

3) My contact network. I have made so many friends on twitter, linkedin, facebook. I can’t begin to count the blessings these wonderful people have bestowed. There’s jobangels, and unconferences like HRevolution, Trulondon, OnRec09, and summitup. All of these people and events add so much value to my life.

4) My friends. Where would any of us be without our friends. In my experience, if you want to have a friend, you have to be a friend. I want to be the kind of friend who goes the extra mile to be present and available to my true friends regardless of the time of day or night.

5) My skills, knowledge and abilities. While I don’t currently have a job, no one can take away my strengths, my expertise, my know how and my passion for excellence. I am always working in my mind. I get lost in my writing, and it makes me feel whole.

There are so many blessings to count. The two who are dearest to me are my two shih tzus, Bozzie and Carmen. Bozzie is going on 15. He can barely walk, or see, but like me he has an unquenchable thirst for life. Carmen is also an elderly pup, but he still has a spring in his step, and knows how to make me smile.

I am most grateful for the peace, serenity and gratitude within my heart. My list of online friends is so long I can’t begin to count. When I moved my blog from wordpress to my new domain, I did not import my blogroll. Over thanksgiving I’m going to set up an extensive blogroll so I can point you to the blogs I love the most.

Most of all, I am grateful to you my readers. Thank you for taking the time to support my humble blog.

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 The job search process is at times daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. When I was an outplacement consultant I suggested the following concepts to my clients. Looking for a job is like a competitive event. The job search athletes who learn to employ the best strategies shorten their transition time and win.

The five best practices that most professionals employ include:

* Networking
* Responding to published openings on job boards, linkedin, twitter, and facebook
* Working with recruiters
* Contacting companies directly either through their web page, or connecting with an insider
* Locating a “bridge” into that target company.

This week, I want to address how to go after what you seek, and how NOT to waste time.

According to The Blue Harbor Group, and Right Management Consulting (the outplacement firms I worked for) suggested the following percentages of time you should spend in the activities listed above. Keep in mind these are just averages.

=Networking/locating the bridge contact into the target company 70%-80% 28 to 32 hours per week

=Responding to ads via the web 5%-15% 2.5 to 7.5 hours per week

=Working with recruiters 10%-20% 5 to 10 hours per week

=Contacting companies directly 5%-15% 2.5 to 7.5 hours per week

Now these are industry averages according to my research. I would update the above by investing more time into contacting companies directly. How do you get to company contacts? That’s where leveraging your network comes into play. Most jobs are found through networking: gathering information leading to job leads by talking to friends, colleagues on linkedin, twitter, facebook, even former managers and professors can be helpful. Professional associations can be a boon for networking, many offer industry specific job boards.

Develop a brief “elevator” pitch that describes what you do and the results you can provide. I’d be happy to help you with this (please send me an email). It helps to have someone listen to or read your elevator pitch before you give it. I know this might sound corny, but I used to practice mine in the mirror until I got comfortable delivering in groups. I used to teach The Essentials of Public Address at Wright State University, and I often suggested practicing in the mirror, or tape recording your speech. It gives you immediate feedback, and practice is healthy.

The key issue in any job search is the challenge of where to focus your time. The obvious answer is working your network to help you to reach the bridge contacts at the companies where you want to work. While job boards can be a great source to find out who’s hiring, the next best step is to ask your network if they know someone in the company that’s advertising the position.

Recruiters can be extremely helpful to you as well, particularly if your skills meet the requirments of the position they are trying to fill. Just be aware that the best leads are going to come from people you already know. Contacting companies directly is also a good idea. My colleague suggests calling and asking for the name of a manager in the department where you want to work. Call this person, give them your elevator pitch, and reassure them that you are seeking industry specific information. I like to let people off the hook by letting them know I don’t expect them to know of a position. You’d be surprised at how many people are responsive to cold calls. Of course, it is better when your bridge contact can warm things up for you. However; we are in a recession. Being unemployed is often considered a badge of honor in this economy. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, most people realize they could very well find themselves in the same position. Prepare by visiting the company website. Develop a list of relevant questions that will guide your search.

There are but a few strategies that will help you manage your time. I am always available to you via email margorose@rocketmail.com for follow me on twitter @HRMargo

Thank you, I sincerely hope you found this helpful.

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There’s so much talk about blogging. What makes your blog relevant? I have some ideas.

Blogging 101 has a few excellent tips http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/community/columns/blogging.mspx

I offer the following:

1) Write with passionate interest about your topic.

2) Back your posts up with substantive reseach backed by empirical data http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-177553710.html

3) Read blog posts written by the thought leaders in your field. Study what they say-take a lesson from their play book (don’t steal their data-cite your sources carefully.) http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/citing.html

4) Collaborate with the thought leaders in your industry.

5) Write about what you know. Stay within your knowledge base.

6) Demonstrate your competencies with your articulate voice.

7) Ask for feedback from mentors and people you trust.

Offer a unique idea and a fresh perspective.

9) Ask your followers to read your blog-encourage them to comment.

10) Frequently read other posts by the top 100 on this site. Check your twitter stream for repeating patterns of information. Do your homework.

Not everyone will agree with the posts you present. Opposing viewpoints are healthy for debate. I recently learned this tough lesson by being overly protective on a colleagues blog. I butted heads with his critic. What I learned from that experience is to pick your battles wisely. Ask yourself, how important is it? Is being a contrarian worth the effort?

Respectfully submitted

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