Guest Article: Don't involve incumbents in recruiting their replacement, ever by Ross Clennett

This week we saw two momentous announcements in the world of sport, one local and one international. Firstly, after a season (not yet complete) that saw Manchester United fall from EPL champions last year to finish (most likely) seventh, win no trophies and miss a lucrative European Champions' League place for next season, the manager (coach) David Moyes, in his first season at Manchester

Article source:Ross Clennett - Don't involve incumbents in recruiting their replacement, ever»



Check out more of Ross Clennett's work at hisblog

Guest Article: 66% of Employers Prefer This Type of Resume #SHRMTalent by Ben

Earlier I posted on career growth and development and some ideas and insights from the SHRM Talent Management Conference, and as I was looking through some of the results from a SHRM survey released this week I realized that there is an interesting disconnect. While we want to look at employees as more valuable than their current job title for development purposes, we don’t want to do do that up front when they approach us as candidates. In fact, 66% of organizations prefer chronological resumes to functional resumes (source: SHRM).

For reference, chronological resumes list jobs in order from most to least recent; functional resumes focus on skills and experience instead of job history.

Now I will admit that when I’m recruiting, I prefer resumes in chronological order. I’ve seen too many instances over the years where people use functional resumes to make themselves seem more qualified for a position than they really were.

However, it is interesting to note that I’ve also seen high level professionals make use of functional resumes with no discernible negative results. When someone has 15-20 years of experience in a specific field and a variety of specialized skills, the functional resume might serve a better purpose than chronological format.

Additional information from the survey available below. Check it out–there’s definitely some good stuff in there for you to review.

Shrm 2013 survey findings resume v5 from shrm

The post 66% of Employers Prefer This Type of Resume #SHRMTalent appeared first on upstartHR.

Article source:Ben - 66% of Employers Prefer This Type of Resume #SHRMTalent»



Check out more of Ben Uebanks' work at Upstart HR

Starting a career blog – to blog or not to blog?

 ‘To blog or not to blog, that is the question!’ 

Blogging is rapidly emerging as a great new way to advance your career. Blogs have become a ritual reading, an indication of a person’s professional reliability and at the very least an opportunity to have your name on the internet. As the saying goes ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’- With the added bonus of introducing you to a whole new circle, establishing a strong base of professionals who read your articles frequently can be beneficial to you, and your career.

When’s a good time to start blogging?

If you’re a university student or coping with pre-career decision struggles, this is the best time to start blogging. Why?

• You’re more likely to connect with countless students who are experiencing the same highs/lows as you are
• Just as many people do, you’re giving the readers a chance to read about your journey and connect with you throughout your career- if you keep them interested that is.
• Taking this initiative looks great on a resume!

Whether you’re a university student, a graduate or an employed professional, everyone has experienced situations similar to yours and I can guarantee that someone else is going to experience what you’re going through. Blogging will become a source of comfort for your readers and subsequently an outlet for your own frustrations, although be sure to follow our guidelines to prevent anything career damaging ending up on the internet!

Establish Yourself

Showing readers that you’re a reliable source is how you strengthen the degree of respect that’s associated with your name, and subsequently this could open up avenues for media sources to contact you- a little publicity never hurt anyone. For example, if you’re an early career psychologist, writing material relating to current issues in the field of psychology is one way of establishing yourself.

Passion

If you’re not passionate about blogging, then don’t do it. Your blogs will receive a lot more positive feedback if your passion for your work is portrayed through your writing. Blogging will become nothing more than a daunting task and a reason for procrastinating in any way possible if you don’t enjoy it.

A blog is not the same thing as a personal diary

• If you are relaying personal experiences, make sure it still has something of value. Ask yourself, what would the reader take from this?
• Though you are dealing with social media, try to make sure your spelling, grammar and general flow of text allow readers to take you seriously.
• If you’re not the most creative and influential writer (you don’t have to be!) be sure to share your work with friends or colleagues before going live. This is especially helpful in finding areas that don’t make sense to others that may seem perfectly normal to you.
• Be careful not to name names or expose companies. If you need to vent, mention annoyances at the general department or type of worker, not the person or company. This will help people relate to you more which is what you’re trying to achieve!

Happy blogging!

Guest Article: 2014 SHRM Talent Management Conference by Ben

Next week I’ll be attending the SHRM Talent Management Conference in Nashville. It’s an event focusing on recruiting and talent, and I’m excited about attending and sharing some of the sessions I’ll be viewing.

If you’re going to be there and want to connect, hit me up via email and we can try to make it work.

As a preview, here are the sessions I’m planning to check out during the event.

Big Data: Your Best Bet In The War For Talent

Why: As our organization has grown it has become harder to source from some of the same pools that we’ve used repeatedly over the years. I’m hoping to learn more about using data to help find the next person I hire.

Quality of Attrition: Management’s Favorite Human Capital Metric

Why: We have a long-standing discussion at work about the difference between retention and turnover. For our purposes, retention is preventable, turnover is not. I’m hoping to learn more about attrition, what the market averages are, and how we can leverage that for better organizational metrics.

Beyond Performance Reviews: Influencing Performance Improvement

Why: Thanks to my buddy Chris Ponder, I’ve been getting more interested in the field of performance improvement lately. I’d like to look at ways we can take our paper (shudder) performance reviews to another level with more impact to the business.

Effectively Managing a Remote Workforce

Why: We have more people outside our local office and we’re adding new work sites regularly. It becomes difficult to make sure everyone feels included and engaged when they are not physically in the same workplace. I’m looking for ideas on how managers can lead those people as well as how to make sure we’re taking care of the remote staff adequately.

Strategic Talent Acquisition: The “Talent Advisor” Approach

Basically, how valuable would your leadership say your recruiting function is? Do they think it enhances the overall business by finding the right people at the right time? I think we do this pretty well, but I am always looking for ways to improve our service delivery on the recruiting side.

Well? Anything in there look interesting to you? What would you like me to share about?

The post 2014 SHRM Talent Management Conference appeared first on upstartHR.

Article source:Ben - 2014 SHRM Talent Management Conference»



Check out more of Ben Uebanks' work at Upstart HR

Guest Article: The recruitment industry: Giving back in a big way by Ross Clennett

Three months ago, in InSight 315, I mentioned the great fundraising and community work that a handful of recruitment agencies undertake. I invited readers to advise me of any other recruitment agencies doing great in this areas. A handful of people responded. Here is brief summary of what I received (I have edited much of what was sent to me for the sake of brevity): ManpowerGroup:

Article source:Ross Clennett - The recruitment industry: Giving back in a big way»



Check out more of Ross Clennett's work at hisblog

Guest Article: HR Lands at #71 of the 100 Best Jobs by Ben

Recently the list of the 100 best jobs was published for this year, and HR was again on the list. This time it ranked number 71 out of 100. It’s always fun to look at these lists to see how they compare, because we all want to think we’re working in a field that others see as important and valuable. It’s difficult to do that in HR, because many people have never run across someone working in human resources that truly cared about their wellbeing and success.

So, what were some of the 70 jobs that beat it out?

Jobs that are (supposedly) better than HR

Accountant. (Even during tax time, this somehow managed to beat HR?)

Meeting planner. (I thought planning events was an HR function…)

Compliance officer. (Ditto-doesn’t HR do compliance? Also, how in the world is compliance better than human resources?!?)

Bill collector. (Wow. Calling people to harass them about money they owe is better? Really? Now we’re just getting ridiculous.)

How to get an HR job

From the article:

If Segal was hiring a new specialist, she says she would consider “someone who is smart, understands that HR is part of the management function, has business savvy and a keen analytical mind.” Like other areas of business, HR focuses on innovation and return on investment, she says. “HR needs creative, innovative thinkers to take us past the traditional paper processing and compliance focus to show our value and ROI in the global economy in new ways,” she says. In addition to having fresh ideas, Segal says you must demonstrate good writing skills, be able to work with financial data and have a solid understanding of your industry. “Being in HR in a startup tech company is not the same as being in HR in a bank or a manufacturing company or in the entertainment industry,” she says. “While there is some obvious overlap, if you want to be truly effective, be seen as more than a paper pusher and have a seat at the table, you need to show that you understand the business you’re in and how HR can support the bottom line.”

I agree with some of this for sure, but it’s also funny to see that some of these comments still don’t align with how a large portion of the HR population works and thinks even today. Many of those in this profession don’t put any stock in reviewing/analyzing financial data or even having a firm understanding of their industry. They are content to make policies, fight to keep fun out of the workplace, and collect a paycheck until they retire. It’s why blogs like this one have become so popular–because people like you realize that there is more to this profession than what we were told when we started. There’s certainly more to life (and HR) than what meets the eye.

More on breaking into HR, for those who are interested. Also, if you want to check it out, the US News article is here.

What are your thoughts? Is this job better or worse than the ranking they assigned? Why?

The post HR Lands at #71 of the 100 Best Jobs appeared first on upstartHR.

Article source:Ben - HR Lands at #71 of the 100 Best Jobs»



Check out more of Ben Uebanks' work at Upstart HR

Guest Article: Preventing Conflict in the Workplace by Ben

If asked, many HR professionals would say that preventing conflict in the workplace is one of their key job duties. However, I’d like to step back from that well-known requirement and re-examine the need for civility at all costs. Let’s kick off with a quote:

It means caring a lot about not offending someone. Let’s be clear, to be civil is good. Civil behavior is a useful part of a healthy team. However, it can’t be the defining characteristic of the team. Great performance means tough conversations, which is why candor should always trump civility. Candor refers to interactions defined by honest, frank and, forthright exchanges. No sugar-coating, just professional and somewhat blunt conversation. Credit: Lynda.com

Recently I was evaluating some training for some of our supervisors, and I ran across this comment. I think within the realm of human resources management, this type of thinking is more critical than almost any other area of the business. Think about it: we’re supposed to facilitate civility in the workplace. We’re supposed to help eliminate friction, prevent hurt feelings, and ensure a sense of “peace in the family.”

Preventing conflict in the workplace? That’s our job

In fact, if you’re an in-the-trenches HR kind of person, you probably thought of an ongoing situation where you’re trying to facilitate civility as you read that last paragraph. It’s just what we do, right?

But maybe we shouldn’t?

Recently I wrote about the relationship between the Chief Executive Officer of an organization and the key HR leader. The thing that CEOs want most out of HR? Candor.

[Related: Here's what 76% of CEOs appreciate about HR]

Not only do CEOs want to share candidly with HR without fear of the information being used against them; they also want HR to speak candidly with them about problems and opportunities. The relationship is too critical to allow it to be hampered by the desire to pursue civility at all costs.

The next time you’re looking at a situation that requires you to choose between being open and honest (and possibly causing conflict at work) or trying to smooth things over to prevent any negative response, make sure you are not diminishing the message so much that it loses all value.

The post Preventing Conflict in the Workplace appeared first on upstartHR.

Article source:Ben - Preventing Conflict in the Workplace»



Check out more of Ben Uebanks' work at Upstart HR