Artificial Intelligence and Me

"The upheavals [of artificial intelligence] can escalate quickly and become scarier and even cataclysmic. 

Imagine how a medical robot originally programmed to rid cancer, could conclude that the best way to obliterate cancer is to exterminate humans who are genetically prone to the disease."
- Nick Bilton, tech columnist wrote in the New York Times

What Is Going On Out There
Okay...Nick's view on AI may be a bit much, but that doesn't mean that taking the deep dive into the world of artificial intelligence isn't a potentially risky endeavor.

Consider what's at stake in your world:
- your employer brand integrity
- consistent messaging and tone
- avoidance of potential discriminatory issues
- and needless mistakes being made over and over again

As you consider stepping into the world of AI in your HR organization, can you honestly say that you trust the technology solutions you are considering rolling out?

Who tested them?
What is their full / limited functionality?
Are you prepared to trust the results of the AI 'work' done in place of a human?

I'm Fired Up
As for me, I am absolutely fired up about what AI will mean for me in 2019! 

We are rolling out cutting edge tools that we have confidence will deliver for our clients.

In just the last few months major milestones have been achieved with a variety of solutions that move from basic clunky 'tech' to actual operationalized AI.

That is exciting stuff!

How About You
Is your CEO asking you about AI? What is your answer? Are you prepared to deliver in a world that is accelerating faster than ever? 

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.
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6 Strategies to Eliminate Your Healthcare Recruiting Excuses

The world of #HealthcareHR is full of excuses. Risk avoidance, nursing shortages, compliance, a perceived backseat to the other Operational departments, and the list goes on.

Despite all of this self-inflicted pressure, HR still plays a critical role and it has nothing to do with making sure the employment records are neat and tidy for the next Joint Commission survey.

Oh, and by the way, there aren't any departments in your organization that can pull it off except HR. So, if you're ready to deliver real results and cut through the excuses, focus on the following items and make a real impact.

1  Employer Brand
I have written many times about employer brand and the power it has to change the perception of organizations in the market. The simple fact is this...every organization has an employer brand, it's just that most are absolutely invisible. Make sure yours dominates your industry.

2  Leader brand
The concept of leader brand is a spin-off of personal brand. For me, leader brand is a more important label, as it speaks to who you are as a leader for your team, your organization, and your industry. Investing the time necessary to establish a meaningful one is not difficult, but if you're trying to convince top talent to join your team and they do any research on you at all, what will they find?

3  Content
There is a reason the phrase "content is king" is so important...because it's true. Yes, the content needs to be meaningful, not just plentiful. But without it, you and your company fall into the trap of repeating your press releases inside the organization and convincing yourselves that the outside world is listening. They're not. Develop your stories, and start sharing them with the world. 

4  Engagement

Using social media channels to distribute your content is not a passing fad, or something that you simply don't have time for any longer. Those tired excuses make you sound old and irrelevant. 

Put content and social media at the top of your to do list everyday. It comes first, not last. If you don't know how to use the various tools you need to reach out and learn. I'll help you, but you have to take the first step and accept that it is 2017.

5  Candidate Experience
Do you still believe it is such a privilege to work at your organization that candidates should be grateful to have the opportunity to even interview with you, let alone get hired? If so, I guarantee you have a long list of vacancies and you "can't understand why?" Focus on candidates, not yourself. No organization is that special, but in the epic struggle for healthcare talent, the candidates absolutely are.

6  Speed
This one is perhaps the hardest for #HealthcareHR leaders to grasp. Going slow, holding meetings for several weeks or months with a "multi-disciplinary team" and "fully understanding the risks involved" are all excuses for "I'm too scared to be a leader." 

Too harsh? You tell me...when was the last time a healthcare organization moved quickly to ensure they had the brand, and the talent necessary to impact the lives of their employees and patients?

How About You
Lists can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. I can relate...they do to me as well. Here's the difference, I want to help you understand these six priorities...how to learn...how to plan...how to execute and sustain. Let's be honest, if I could do these things leading a conservative hospital's HR function, you can too!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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The Power of Internal Blogging Teams

For those HR leaders that have jumped into 2016, one of the common problems they face is the non stop need for original content to support their corporate recruitment marketing strategy.

Content, Content, Content
As I survey the #HealthcareHR landscape, it is quite obvious that formal recruitment marketing approaches are still...well...nonexistent. The handful of organizations that embrace this concept are typically the ones that outmaneuver their competition in a big way.

One of the most effective ways to generate original content is through the use of internal blogging teams.

Consider this example:

"I asked a brand new nurse to blog about her experiences for a year. The exciting stuff, the boring stuff, the scary stuff, all of it. I helped her with each post, but it was her voice and message. She was an instant success, and her posts had thousands of views on our HR blog."

It can be done. The blogging site was free. Repurposing the posts across multiple social media channels was free. The results were phenomenal.

Building Your Team

As you think about who should be part of your team, focus on your high priority hiring areas, as well as any other part of the organization that is part of your core business. Even if you are not blogging about a particular department or function, you will still differentiate yourself from the competition in a positive way.

Let's face it...most organizations do not trust their employees to tell their story. They rely on ultra-polished messages from traditional sources. Instead, use your employees to paint your employer brand picture and leverage the skills of the team to ensure confidentiality and professionalism.

How About You

Are you ready to jump out of the 1980s and launch a robust recruitment marketing strategy that both recruits and retains the talent you need? If the idea scares you I can help. I can tell you one thing is certain...your competition is hoping you don't change a thing.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Snapchat, Ghosts & Not Being Old & Lame

I've been experimenting with snapchat lately. The tarnished image of the app is gone (yes, it is) and it has now moved to powerhouse status rivaling the other heavy hitters in the social media space.

What has been an unexpected surprise to me is how many long-time social media "experts" (ahem, I hate that word), have come out proclaiming the futility of using snap for recruiting, because they do not see a way forward.

Really?

Brands Love It
The last time I checked, which is daily, major brands around the world are pushing out high quality content on snapchat.

Are they doing this because it is a waste of time?
Are the doing this because "the experts" keen insight is fun to ignore?

Um...

Isn't there a direct link between employer brand and recruitment?

Now before you discount the millions of people using this tool every day, remember they are the workforce of today and tomorrow. 

Still reading? Good, I'm not done.

Ignore the Noise
Is there noise around snapchat? Of course there is. Is the ghost codes craze over begging for hearts annoying? Of course it is. 

Is snapchat's recent major upgrade a sign of massive innovation and change for a platform with unlimited upside?

You bet your closed-mind it is.

For those of you that have decided that snapchat has no future in the talent acquisition space, I caution you to hold your opinion at the risk of sounding like a fool.

"Those proclaiming so early that there is no future using snapchat risk sounding like the grumpy old neighbor yelling at the kids to "get off my lawn."

Don't be that person.

How About You
I wonder if the bright minds in the social media space that adopted facebook, twitter, Pinterest, swarm, and so many others have lost their edge? Has the fire gone out, and it's simply too embarrassing to admit that you haven't figured out snapchat yet? 

Or, do you need an in-your-face blog post to get you all fired up again so you can get back in the game...and lead the way once more?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Fear Factory

The ultra-competitive environment to source, attract and hire talent is fascinating. So many organizations lament the fact that they can not find the "right" people to meet their needs.

Yet these same organizations continue to use the same old and ineffective approaches to talent acquisition; or they are being taken advantage of by large vendors that throw around lots of terminology but fail to execute effectively on behalf of their clients.

I'm calling B.S. on both approaches!

Desperate and Scared
For years I've seen organizations that know they need to implement contemporary approaches to their talent strategy, but doing so represents such a quantum leap out of their comfort zone that they are paralyzed.

"Leaders who fail to make bold decisions are usually not leaders for very long."

The habits of yesteryear continue to strike fear into the hearts of these well intended leaders. Think about the good old days of display ads in the Sunday paper. 

Now that is living in your comfort zone! Sadly, there really isn't a Sunday "want ads" section in the paper anymore.

Now Is Your Time
The opportunities available to today's talent acquisition leader are endless. The ability to position yourself as a high-performing, contemporary leader in your industry is not as hard as you think. (Which in turn helps your organization be viewed in the same positive light.) 

Yes, it takes expertise, courage, and commitment. But aren't those qualities in every leader's job description anyway?

How About You
Do you work in a fear factory where moving into the contemporary age is still viewed as a risky move? If so, maybe you and I should talk. I want to help...and it sounds like maybe you could use a helping hand.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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I'm Hiring Two Talent Acquisition Leaders to Join My Team!

Have you ever wanted to work at a company that has one of those trendy super cool cultures that you read about? You know the ones...they have lots of stories about the great team environment and the energy that you can feel when you walk through the front door.

Do you think those organizations actually exist; or, are they simply a fantasy that Silicon Valley tries to promote but rarely turns out to be true?

Well, I joined one of those companies and I didn't have to move to California to do it. 

Kinetix Rocks

If you're wondering what Kinetix is all about let me summarize for you...we offer a triple-threat of human resources services to our clients:
- Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)

- Staffing and Recruiting

- Human Resources Consulting

Here's the Kinetix difference: we do it better, faster, and have a hell of a lot more fun than anyone else in the industry. There, I said it.

Kinetix Needs Progressive Leaders

Good things are happening here (think growing-faster-than-you-can-imagine) and that's why I need to add two leaders who will report directly to me. 

You need to be an experienced talent acquisition professional who can effectively lead a team of high performers. Your team will consist of 8 - 10 of our rock star recruiting pros. 

You need to understand that social, digital, and all things 2015 are how we operate. So please do not fax me your resume because I don't even know where our fax machines are here.

Are You Ready?

If you think you have the leadership chops, a contemporary view of how the talent game is played, and you want to live in the amazing city of  Atlanta, then you should reach out to Colleen Fitzgerald via email; through twitter, or if you have to you can call her direct at 770-390-8380. If you'd like the 411 on this cool gig check out the posting here.

Oh, and you probably won't need a chair. You'll be so busy leading your team as a real hands-on leader that you won't have much desk time.

Reign In Content

Your organization has an amazing story to tell, right? You have great employees who do great work and make a difference. Your culture is special, the work you produce is high quality, and yet you are still dumbfounded that your ability to attract "the right" talent remains elusive.

Stories

Every organization large or small, for-profit or not, sophisticated or not, all have a story to tell. Yours does too. The stories are your corporate culture. The values, the mission, the guiding principles, or statement of beliefs you espouse are important; however, in the end they are what the company hopes will become the stories...in the future.

The stories of today are what your organization is...today. Stories are the behind the scenes front-line perspective of what is really going with your employees. 

Every company has stories.

"What are the good stories that you want the world to know?"

I'm willing to bet that if you had ten minutes of uninterrupted time you could come up with a handful of moving stories about your organization that you would love for future talent to know about.

So why aren't you telling anyone?

Content Reigns Supreme

The absence of a content strategy is a clear indication that you are not going to attract the best talent to your company. Sure, there are a handful of trendy name brands out there that seem to effortlessly attract high performers. 

Here's their secret...they've already told their stories and now "everyone" wants to be part of their amazing culture. No one wants to be a part of their values...they want to be a part of their stories.

See the difference?

How About You

Do you have a content strategy for your company? Have you collected the stories necessary to offer an authentic behind-the-scenes look into your organization? If so, you're way ahead of most. If not, maybe we should connect. Your culture...and the stories it tells...shouldn't go to waste.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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