Guest Article: HR Certification Training Course by Ben

Over the past few years I’ve put significant time and effort into researching, developing, and sharing HR certification training tools. Today I am unveiling a new course I developed over the past few months that I’m excited about. Read on for how you can get it for way cheap (or just go check it out now).

While I had released the very popular SPHR/PHR Self Study Course a while back, I felt like something was missing. I really wanted to incorporate more video content as a way to help students feel more engaged and to help convey some thoughts and ideas that were difficult to translate in a written context.

Then I found the Udemy platform. Udemy is a tool for developing and delivering courses to students around the world. I was itching to try it out, and then I remembered my desire to incorporate more video into a study tool. The HR Certification Study Course was born! A few highlights:

• This course was designed to be used in conjunction with the HRCP study materials for the PHR/SPHR exams.


• The course includes over five hours of video content.


• This course is meant to take the place of going to a local study group, sitting there for an hour, and going home for additional studies. Sometimes that isn’t feasible due to geographic restrictions, scheduling issues, lack of local programs, or a multitude of other reasons. Now you can watch the course from the comfort of your home!


• The promo video for the lecture is below. Check it out!

Get the friend discount!

For the duration of this week, I’m giving blog readers $50 off the price if you use this link. This offer expires Friday the 14th of February, so “get it while the gettin’ is good” as we say in the South. :-) This is for lifetime access, so if you plan to take the exams any time in 2014 or 2015, this is the best price you’ll ever see on this course.

Also, please note that this is my first venture with Udemy, so any input, feedback, or thoughts are appreciated! Thanks, as always, for your support. You guys are the best!

Promo video

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Guest Article: Misalignment by Jason Averbook

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Creating New Business - What's in a name? Part 1

Ever shuddered from a soon-to-be parent giving you the 'what we want to name our baby' speech? It should be a simple procedure; think of a few syllables that sound nice that don't remind you of someone you dislike and voila! But no, once some ideas are started you then open up to more and more, and before too long they're touting something like "Anastasia-Dakota-Mango" whilst forgetting what you were meant to achieve in the first place, causing difficulties in the schoolyard, sports and everything else. Branding and business names are much the same, focus too much on your own pride and wittiness and your actual end product gets left behind. Your name may not connect to client needs or be memorable enough to have any effect.
In the online world it is crucial that your name brings early attraction and attention when you need it the most, and carries the value of your business into every space it touches. It is the first touch point that carries your value proposition textually and visually, and the longest lasting asset you have, but don't let that stress you out! Let's look into some different ways you can approach the naming process and important naming categories that should help you formulate ideas to be proud of.

 

Name Types

Function-specific

This is where 'what you do' or 'how it's done' is imprinted into the name itself. This can be as basic as 'Sydney Massage' where you're following a well-known grain that helps people identify what you do very quickly. This is usually preferable if you're not trying to break the mould with your service, but rather cater to a particular area or customer base.
On the other hand, if you'd like your core benefit and what sets you apart to be as clear as possible you can get more involved. For example: 'Vistaprint' puts a nice visual term and the core service of printing into one new word. 'Lite n' easy' describes their product, hints that it is a food category, and sets them up for a branding personality in just 9 letters. 'Hotmail' and 'Gmail' are product names of larger entities that have made their positioning very simple for all users.
PROS

• Efficient branding and customer understanding
• Great benefits for your URLs and SEO if you can claim your name
• Opportunities to re-use the name on different products and visual spaces

CONS

• May limit your expansion further down the track
• Can be difficult to find a niche that doesn't have similar competitors

 

Metaphoric / Emotion-relative

Amazon don't sell rainforests, and ebay don't sell bays. What they have in common is that they give you the feeling of a large and expansive place where anything is possible. For this reason they can move into just about any area they please.
An example of the emotion-relative notion is easily explained when you look at French sounding names in the fashion and fragrances industries. If it's more difficult to pronounce, chances are you'll be paying more for a premium product. Have you noticed how Target has been promoting the use of the French "tar-jay" pronunciation? Funnily enough their clothing lines seem to have risen in price.
A big online trend in metaphoric naming and logo use has been the influx of anthropomorphism. Firefox, Linux, Bronto and many more use animals to give you different feelings instantly. The Firefox fox is quick and cunning, and makes you want to befriend and attach yourself to it a lot more than a large 'e'. If you want to go down this path, be sure to match what makes you stand out to how you your audience should feel when they become involved with your business.
PROS

• Quick connotations about your brand personality help alleviate 'complex' services offerings
• Allows you to expand into different offerings more easily further down the track

CONS

• Requires strong, ongoing marketing to stand out in the consumer's mind
• Deviating from the 'feeling' that your logo and name give could weaken your overall image

 

Personal name progression

Some of the largest and longest running companies in the world started as the founder's surname. With this technique you can avoid several branding pitfalls simultaneously as a human name doesn't necessarily make promises.
PROS

• You can use this in conjunction with the function-specific approach and always come across highly professional. Eg: 'Smithson Therapy'
• Used by itself it is unlikely that you will ever need to change the name
• People are more accustomed to remembering names in their day to day dealings
• If you are a services business, you can use the name's owner as a figurehead for the quality of your work to help drive expectations and create a great brand story

CONS

• You will have to get more creative with making a relevant logo
• You may also miss out on the early benefits of the first two techniques, especially for SEO

These name categories should give you a better idea of the direction your business would like to take. In the next article we will be looking into how to link the name to a logo, common mistakes to avoid and plan your name for online readiness.

 

Crank Films and Cambodian Kids Can - One Good Turn Deserves Another

Many of our clients and readers will be aware that for over five years we have supported Cambodian Kids Can which provides a home for underprivileged girls in rural Cambodia. We are also supporting a library, an English and IT school and developing various social enterprises in the provinces to develop self-sufficiency. Quite 'out of the blue,' Crank, an Australian film group contacted us to develop a promotional video from concept to post production. Crank are a media production company geared towards telling stories across all mediums - television commercials, new media content, music videos, documentaries, feature films, and video games.
This brilliantly shot and touching piece highlights the discrepancy between a girls upbringing in rural Cambodia against places such as Australia. Might we suggest that if your business or company is looking for a marketing edge through film or video, Crank Films would be great people to talk to, or refer someone to, as ... "one good turn" deserves your support!
You can view what they have produced here http://fdcc.org.au/2863/news/too-many-children-grow-up-alone/

Guest Article: Video: 9 ‘Worst Practices’ To Avoid With Cloud Computing by Jason Averbook

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Guest Article: The hidden candidate gold mine: 400,000 part-timers almost available by Ross Clennett

At the end of last year, the ABS released its Barriers and Incentives to Labour Force Participation, Australia, July 2012 to June 2013 (catalogue 6239.0). This survey revealed some fascinating information about the Australian workforce: Of those 9.4 million people, aged 18 years and over, who did not work full-time, approximately 2.6 million (or 28%) indicated that they would like a job or

Article source:Ross Clennett - The hidden candidate gold mine: 400,000 part-timers almost available»



Check out more of Ross Clennett's work at hisblog

Guest Article: Video: HR, Have You Reimagined… by Jason Averbook

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3 steps to achieving your 2015 career goals

There is an old saying about succeeding that I’m sure we’ve all heard hundreds of times, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” It’s a handy reminder about the importance of sticking to a plan, and today we’d like to take that a little further to help you realise, record, and achieve your career goals for 2015. Many of you may wish to receive a new role this year, or maybe some kind of promotion, or you might just like to make some new friends in the workplace. Whatever your objectives are, we have put together 3 important tips to stick to in order to make it happen!

1) Realise what you want

It’s very easy to change your mind about what you’d like to get out of your job when you’re in the thick of it. If you’d have a tough week you may want more work-life balance. If you’ve been getting things done quickly you may like more work and a pay rise. It’s best to have some moments to yourself outside of the workplace to reflect on your job as a whole and where it can take you in the long run.

Do:

·         Write down outcomes that would make you more satisfied at work

·         Take into account some advice from people in similar or senior roles

Don’t:

·         Concentrate on what you think you should be doing, or what others expect of you. Set goals that mean something to you and relate to what you want to achieve

2) Record and share your goals

Once you’ve decided on some outcomes you feel would contribute to your overall satisfaction and direction you’d like your career to take, it’s time to ‘formalise’ this commitment and write it down in a logical way. It’s good to remember the ‘SMART’ criteria. That is, that you need your goal/s to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. This way, you won’t alter or forget your intentions in 6 month’s time.

Example: “By October, I want the extra tasks I’m taking on this year to be giving enough value to the business that I am rewarded with a 10% pay increase.”

The sharing aspect of this is what can make some people nervous; most people would not comfortably approach their colleagues or employer with their career goals. However, if you’d like to achieve a change you will need to spark up the conversation at some stage anyway, so letting key people know that you’re serious about your role can be very positive so long as you consider their needs. Other people to involve are your family, friends and partner, as they can check in with you to see how your goals are going.

3) Action plan, review, repeat          

This is both the most overlooked and the most important part of a career related goal. Having one sentence can be great, but if you haven’t given yourself a realistic impetus to get it done it could drag on far longer than intended or not happen at all. An action plan will allow you to achieve the smaller parts of a larger idea so that you’re getting closer and closer each month.

Do:

·         Write down tasks to do each month that will add to your goal

·         Save alert reminders in your calendar – from things to ask other staff members, research for you to do in your spare time and other actions to undertake

·         Read back on your previous plans at regular intervals

Don’t:

·         Rush. This could make a tremendous difference to how you work and how you feel about your job

·         Stop until your action plan is complete. While unexpected obstacles can delay you from reaching your goals, simply revise your plan and timeline then continue moving forward.

Hopefully these tips give you the groundwork for a realistic career plan. Many businesses and employers today put in minimal time to plan your career for you, so you need to take the reins and make sure it happens according to your values!