Thursday, June 29, 2017

Social Media Ad Buys and Recruiting

If you're like most Talent Acquisition leaders, you're trying to figure out how to use social media tools to maximize exposure for your open positions. 

Well, there is far more to it than just dropping links all over the Internet!

Which platform is best for your positions?

How do you target the right talent?

Is recruitment marketing the same on each social media channel?

To learn how to rock your social media spend, check out this post from Kris Dunn over at The HR Capitalist or...

...download the new Kinetix white paper now!

It's time to get in the game!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Still I Rise

"I thought I had the promotion all locked up...I can't believe it went to someone else."

"This company...this opening...is perfect for me. How come they won't even give me an interview?"

"There is so much going on in my personal life, I'm not sure I can keep up at work."

"After all of my years here it's going to end like this? What am I supposed to do now?"

"They went with a different vendor...but, how? We are exactly what they need."

"My new boss has changed everything...I used to be valued here...now, not so much."

The End of Days
Can you relate to any of the statements above? If we're honest with ourselves, they might hit a little too close to home. But, for me, that means they are real. 

Real is good.

When the world seems to be crashing down around us, whether it's personally or professionally, we often feel overwhelmed. Desperation, hopelessness, and even despair can creep into our minds. It's as if everything we had worked so hard for was evaporating right before our eyes.

But, what may feel like the end of days, is quite honestly, not even close to the end.

New Days
But, how does one move from a dark place, to a place of momentum, progress, and action?

Let's frame things up first:
- it's not about simple "trust" in your organization
- it's not about just "going with the flow"
- it's actually about making your own decisions!

Put your thoughts on paper:
- get them out of your head
- work on them
- improve them!

Take action each day:
- update your resume
- spend an hour making your LinkedIn profile look the way it should
- reach out to several colleagues in your network each day
- taking action means you are gaining control of your circumstances!




How About You
In the dark times, consider a new mantra..."Still I Rise." When the outlook is so bleak that you hear your self-talk machine spinning out of control...consider a new mantra...

Still I Rise!

You can be unstoppable...if you make the decision to be.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.


Wednesday, June 21, 2017

When Employees Make Mistakes

Question: How many of us have team members that have stumbled?

Answer: All of us.


Reactions, Fear and True Colors
Mistakes are one of the most important opportunities for leaders to demonstrate to the rest of the team what they are all about. Are anger, harsh words or the proverbial cold shoulder part of your leadership playbook "to make a point?" Guess what? 

You are an abject failure. 

Strong words? Yep. 

Accurate? Hell, yes.

If we take a moment and put ourselves in the place of our employee who has made the error, we must realize they are feeling more anxiety than we are. They have failed. They are "in trouble." They may even have put their employment status in jeopardy.

Now, which one of us is more stressed?

In that moment when we feel a surge of energy, and the myriad consequences are rapidly processing through our heads...

...that is exactly when we need to show who we are as leaders. Our true colors.

Being Evaluated
What is often forgotten in our haste to react, to correct the error, and to normalize operations, is that not only is the employee watching our every move; but so is the rest of the team.

If you still believe that employees are not discussing when and how they are held accountable for their mistakes you are completely out of touch with reality.

Instead, consider those moments as the perfect chance to balance accountability with compassion. Take a moment to consider what you will say, and how you will deliver the message. I call this the "one second rule" - literally, give yourself one second to decide.

The manner in which you treat the employee will be shared, discussed, and evaluated either positively or negatively. Quite honestly, I'm counting on that discussion to occur. It is an opportunity to give real insight into one's leadership style under a very private set of circumstances that is not readily visible.



How About You
Do you want to be known as some sort of prehistoric leadership dinosaur that "goes off" on people? Or, would you prefer to be known as the leader who is fair, approachable, but still firm when necessary? 

One last question..have you ever made a mistake? How did you want to be treated?

I thought so.


I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Tuesday, June 13, 2017

The Secret Talent Weapon You're Wasting

Every organization I speak with "wants" to be a contemporary player in the ongoing struggle to attract talent. However, most have no idea how to leverage social or digital tools to make that desire a reality.

Sadly, one of the most powerful and frequently overlooked weapons available is walking in and out of the front door every day.

The employees.

Brand Ambassadors
Whether we call them brand ambassadors, employee advocates, or formal members of the recruitment marketing team, there is no voice more powerful than the voice of the those that have already committed to representing the employer brand.

Let's leave the whole "building an employer brand strategy" discussion for another post, and focus on the massive amount of horsepower that is ready, willing and able to launch that strategy right now.

The first step is easy and effective: identify the employees who are already on social, or who have expressed an interest in being more active on social platforms.

If you think it is impossible to find these internal superusers, you are actually saying more about how out of touch you are vs. expressing frustration with the process. If you haven't kept up with the changes in the world of work, of course it will be difficult to identify your own brand champions.

Start Small, Go Big
A simple search of the various social channels will help you identify who is actively supporting your employer brand. Set up a twitter list to help keep track of the team's efforts quickly and efficiently.

Next, reach out to those individuals and draft them into service as part of your overall employer brand strategy.

Formalize the support you provide your initial core group of brand champions with training, guidance, content recommendations, and support. From there, you can add new employees to the group in a thoughtful and coordinated way.



How About You
There really is no excuse to hide behind the fear of social media. It is a core component of every industry. In fact, your employees are probably wondering why you don't ask them to help. They are already advocating for your company, you just don't know it!

The only thing standing in your way...is you. Let me help!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Tuesday, June 6, 2017

When Was the Last Time You...

Regret. It's a part of everyone's career. Sometimes we are thankful we didn't get what we wished for; and, at others we look back and shake our heads at what might have been. It can generate emotions from a sense of relief, to feeling caught in a frustrating spiral with no end in sight.

Going For it
For me, one word has summed up how I decided to "follow" my career path. It helped inform moves I made within the health systems where I worked, to moving across the country, to making a radical departure within the healthcare industry into a whole new world.

Risk.

I decided early on I was going to go for it. My peers wondered what I was doing. My internal competitors may have been a bit jealous of my success. My friends and family sometimes thought I was crazy.

Risk big, win big.

Questions
As you consider your own career, whether you are a new college graduate or an experienced veteran of the world of work, ask yourself these questions:

When was the last time you...

- defined where you want your career to go?

- stepped away from something good, rewarding, and safe to follow your vision?

- told your inner circle that you were thinking about making a bold move?

- did the math on your finances to understand what you needed to live your plan?

- changed the way you work now to prepare for the future?

- took a risk?



How About You
What do you really want to do with your professional life? Write it down. Talk about it. Start working that way today. 

Take the risk.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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