Category Archives: Job Seekers

What does your Company Culture say about your Future?

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Culture-is-the-wayToday, job seekers not only want to know what jobs are available, or what kind of salary they’ll earn or even what the company culture is like, they also want to know how rosy the outlook is for the company’s future. While most often business outlook is an important topic to investors, shareholders and others focusing on finance, it’s increasingly becoming HR’s employment brand issue too.

Have you asked employees their opinion of your company’s business outlook? If not, you may want to take a look at your company reviews on Glassdoor where you can find candid employee feedback.  As part of Glassdoor’s ongoing online company review survey, employees voluntarily and anonymously share their perspective about the work environment, the culture, their satisfaction with key factors like compensation and benefits, and they share their opinion on the following question: Do you believe your company’s business outlook will get better, stay the same or get worse in the next six months? 

Just think about the signals this sends your candidates that are deciding to come work for you.

To see what employees at your company think, you’ll need a free employer account. This will allow you to read all of your company’s reviews and be able to see their take on the company’s future business outlook. Below is a  recent company review from a Google Sales Executive that shows where, if provided, in each company review you can find sentiment on business outlook.

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Curious to see what companies do stand out in terms of business outlook in the eyes of employees? Glassdoor recently released a new report that looks at Top 10 Companies with the Best Business Outlook based on company reviews shared in April. At the top of the list is Google – 86% of employees believe the company’s business outlook will improve in the next six months. See the complete list and how employee satisfaction stacks up at the top-rated companies:

Top 10 Companies with the Best Business Outlook

This report is a good reminder that employment brand isn’t just a reflection of what a company has done, but it’s also a promise of what the company can do.

Photo Credit: Noozmag

About the Author:

Samantha ZupanToday’s guest post comes from my pal Samantha Zupan who is Glassdoor’s Corporate Communications Director. Glassdoor is a jobs and career community that is changing the way people find jobs and companies recruit top talent. Follow Samantha on Twitter @SamanthaZupan.

Check out this hangout with the @Gozaik team discussing the new Twitter Resume and Job Posting product Gozaik

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gozaikA few weeks ago I came across a new product for both sides of the hiring line – job seekers looking to find jobs and connect with recruiters online and for the recruiter and companies looking for prime candidates! I’m talking about a new kind of Google filtering within Twitter that narrows the job search for the above mentioned folks.

I immediately connected with the founder Joe Budzienski and asked if he would join me in a hangout to discuss it further, which we did. Here is the recording – it’s only around 30 mins!

I love anything that has to do with social and new technology! Check out the cool ways this is going to help you as Employers, Recruiters and Hiring Managers:

Promote Your Job Tweets

  • Gozaik job search displays job tweets to job seekers. Sign up now to validate your Twitter handle and drive more traffic to your Twitter job posts.

Search Candidates (COMING SOON!)

  • Identify active job seekers that meet your criteria. Review rich multimedia resumes. Watch video introductions.

Spot Trending Talent (COMING SOON!)

  • We spotlight ‘trending’ job seekers. Individuals with the most activity trend within your dashboard, highlighting job seekers you may be interested in.

Tweet Job Announcements (COMING SOON!)

  • Increase your job tweet response by delivering your job announcements through our ‘Job Announcement’ service. We structure tweets to optimize candidate response.

If you’re a job seeker or someone wanting to hire the best talent – do yourself a favor and check out Gozaik. Make sure to connect with them online. Get in on the ground floor!

 

Social Media ROI – Perhaps it’s not what we Thought

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yomamaI recently came across a fantastic article titled “The New ROI for Social Media Recruiting” which not only gave great insight into this year’s ERE Recruiting Conference & Expo but shared a little of why folks still are not jumping on the social media bandwagaon, especially executives. Perhaps we are trying to measure the wrong things.

This article talks of discussions that took place at the Conference that even big named brand representatives are still having a hard time getting their senior corporate managers and leaders involved or even understanding the ROI of social media and how it affects their organizations. We’re still looking at it as an end all, cure all as opposed to a valuable tool and channel of influence to our overall efforts. Perhaps that’s because of how it’s been presented to us.

Social is a grand tool for getting your brand out there and as this article surmises you can’t not be there.

You can’t not be on social because candidates, potential candidates, and those whom you hope to attract and someday hire will see your absence from the social media landscape as a negative. Doing it poorly is equally negative.

When a company fails to post regularly, and especially when comments and questions go unanswered for days or never, or when a company indiscriminately dumps all its job postings into Facebook’s news feed, it says, in the words of one recruiter, “This is a lame company that has no idea what social media is all about. Who wants to work for a company people think is lame?

The great thing that social enables us to do, and especially for brands and organizations, is telling the employer story and building its brand. Things such as the culture of the organization and what to expect in the hiring process on through to the day to day “what it’s like to work there” kind of things. These are the very particulars potential candidates are looking for when deciding whether or not to even begin the hiring process.

We may never be able to obtain ROI in how many folks we’ve hired through Facebook or Twitter (social in general). Instead, we should be looking at the value in branding and reputation building.

What does your company brand look like online? Are you a ghost town?

If you’re looking into a few easy ways to start, check out Glassdoor’s free resources.

Looking for a Job is like looking for your Soul Mate

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Hey guys and gals – I’m on vacation still, in sunny California. Here’s a great post (or so I thought) from the archives. Enjoy and see you next week!

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Many years ago I dated this fantastic guy.  He was funny, charming, said all the right things, wined and dined me. We dated for several months.

The great thing was that he lived about 12 hours from me and we would see one another when he was in town for business, we’d meet in Orlando for a fun weekend or I would fly to see him. It seemed like the perfect match.

Then things started getting a little serious and I found myself saying “This sh#$ just got real.”

I found myself babysitting his five-year-old while he went darting off to work leaving me to cook, clean and babysit. As if that wasn’t enough to make me run he started asking questions like “Whose car was that at your house on such and such night?” And saying things like “My Mom doesn’t even know where I live. You can never tell anyone where I live.”

It wound up that we had a little sit down conversation and it came to a head that he worked for some secret government agency and that was why no one was to know where he lived – not even my parents if we were to marry. And then he started talking about me becoming his five-year-old’s mother and I was all….”Wait now, lets back up.”

Here’s the thing – I had only been divorced two years and was enjoying time by myself and taking care of  my daughter who was around 17 years of age. I did not want to get into a relationship where I was now taking care of a five-year-old and having to parent all over again when my kid was about to turn 18, graduate and fly the coop.

I know, that sounds horrible. But it’s just a fact and a frame of mind I was in. And I was not ready to settle and / or compromise.  And I shouldn’t have to, no one should unless they choose to.

Now stay with me ………

My point in all this is that sometimes we don’t look into the culture of an organization and we rush into something because it “appears” to be the perfect fit. It’s not until after a little time that we realize we’ve screwed the pooch! Then we feel stuck and feel as if there is no way out. Just like we do in our relationships.

Sometimes it just makes sense to find out about an organization (Google them if you have to), look them up on Glassdoor.com. Find out what employees are saying about their culture and take some time to really determine if it’s really a good fit for you. If it’s where you want to burn the midnight oil.

And lastly, go with your gut. If you feel weird vibrations during an interview just be bold enough to say “You know what? I’m not ready to take care of your five-year-old” and walk away.

It’s always better in the long run to do what’s right for you. Heck, they’re doing it about you!

Photo Credit: Creativity4Us

Yo! I’m firing my current and only employee, Myself!

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firing yourselfSome of you know that last summer (2012) or somewhere around there, my friend and cohort Sabrina Baker and I started Discovering Social. Our idea was to assists Job Seekers through Webinars, in person and online workshops, training classes, and whatever else we could do to help them incorporate social media into their job search strategy. We have seen amazing things happen in this endeavor and are running full-speed ahead.

After a few months of diving in and getting the word out we noticed that there were still a few Human Resource and Recruiting folk running  around still looking to learn more about how to build their personal and professional brand and online footprint and trying to determine how to use social themselves (in recruiting and other sorts).

We then began to serve both ends of the hiring spectrum in building our Linked In groups and focusing our training to assists both sides in their endeavor to use social media with work, finding jobs and in sourcing for potential job candidates.

We are seeing tremendous success in helping folks around the globe in this endeavor and it’s what’s keeping us up at night. We’re passionate (to overuse an overused word) about helping others in understanding the what, why’s and how’s of doing social and we’re making some headway.

Conundrum Ahead

That being said, I have found myself overworked and running in a million different directions between my usual HR Conferences, Speaking opportunities, Blogging both here and elsewhere, holding Webinars, training and workshops for Discovering Social and my own business > Social Buzz Concepts. Add to that all the social media management of not only these two companies but my clients as well, and to be honest my head is about to explode. I’m sure you’re exhausted just reading that. So….

I have taken the last few months to really seek out where I need to go and feel that I am to do away with my current company and business “Social Buzz Concepts” and migrate strictly over to Discovering Social as of today.

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I will continue to blog here and over at Discovering Social, as well as SHRM We Know Next, and will continue to manage a  few client social media accounts as I can.

I am excited about where we are taking Discovering Social and I’m passionate about helping others incorporate social in their Job Search strategies, online networking and brand building and developing strategic planning into implementing social into their business initiatives.

Do Your Part

Now we sure could use your support so make sure to check out the NEW DESIGN on our Website, Follow us on the Twitters, Give us a “LIKE” on Facebook Page and join our LINKED IN groups to show your support!

I understand that this is a HUGE leap of faith for me and that thrills me – to no end. I’ve never been one to play it safe – and I’m cool with that!

We thank you for your support – you all are a fantastic community! Stay tuned for more updates.

Trying to be hip and lying to get a job is never a good idea! (Video)

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old hipsterWhile watching TV this past week I saw a perfect example of a Gen X’er trying to get a job that they were not qualified to do from the show Suburgatory. This dude was trying to be a hipster (which he wasn’t) and shows how dumb it makes you look when you aren’t being true to yourself.

Although the video is so far out there and funny as heck – it’s never a good idea to pretend you have the skills for the job you are applying for. Take a look >

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Click the link to watch video:

Take Away’s:

  • Never apply to a job where you don’t hold the skills, qualifications and experience – it will come back to bite you.
  • Be yourself – or you’ll come off looking like a douche-bag.
  • There are no social media gurus and if you really don’t do social – don’t act or talk like you do.
  • Act your age – they’re going to know you’re old when they see you. Playing hip only gets you so far.
  • It’s never good to lie to get a job or anything else, for that matter

Can you add any more? I’m sure there are plenty.

Glassdoor’s New Social Recruiting Tools for Hiring and Employment Branding

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glassdoor logoI love discussing new technology especially as it relates to the world of work.

Just this week one of my favorite’s Glassdoor added some snazzy services to aid companies in their Employment Branding and Recruiting efforts with their Self Service Online Employer Center. These are FREE tools to assists companies in having a hand in their own company branding and if I do say so myself, a brilliant move by my friends at Glassdoor.

I’ve been singing the praises of Glassdoor for a few years now and just in case you missed it they are one of the main social job and career communities that are changing the way people find jobs and the way companies recruit top talent.

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These guys came on the scene in 2007 and here are a few of the items offered to job seekers:

  • Access to the latest job listings
  • The ability to see Inside Connections via their Facebook network
  • Access to company-specific salary reports, ratings and reviews of said company
  • CEO approval ratings
  • Interview questions to expect and what it’s like to work at said company (What to expect)

On the Employer End

Employers can also get involved in the conversation through Glassdoor’s suite of social recruiting solutions to reach target job candidates when they’re making career decisions

This new exciting add-on called the Employer Center is an easy-to-use self-service tool currently in beta that helps companies make social recruiting decisions based on job seeker activity and authentic workplace insights. Take a look at PepsiCo’s page:

Pepsi-Profile.-Short-Version-w.-highlights

With the Employer Center, companies can get access to information about job seeker engagement and demographics, understand what jobs attract the most candidates and when, track employee satisfaction ratings trends, and benchmark their brand’s reputation against competitors.

As a company representative with this account, you can:

  • Update your company’s profile with basic information (i.e. website address, headquarter location, employee count, year founded and more)
  • Provide a company description and mission statement
  • Respond to your company reviews and interview reviews
  • Add awards and photos
  • Request updates to your stock ticker, CEO and list of competitors
  • Flag reviews that may be inappropriate

The amount of insight and data a Brand Manager can obtain from this is unbelievable. I saw this in action in a private Webinar and was astounded!

I’m telling you, there’s no other jobs site or professional network that combines this level of employee feedback and job seeker activity to help companies make more informed recruiting decisions while allowing them to manage their employer brand.

Click HERE for a free Employer Account. If  you don’t check this you’re totally missing out!

Googling yourself won’t cause Blindness

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google yourself“If it can be Googled – it shall be Googled“ 

Last summer I wrote a post titled “Have You Googled Yourself Lately” which sparked a little conversation. It’s a catchy title and a pretty informative read that talks about the importance of your online trail – your brand. How you are perceived in the eyes of folks online. It also gives a few great social listening tools out there to see what folks are finding out about you through what you’ve allowed them to see online.

We joked about this on a recent Twitter Chat and someone stated “I hear that causes blindness.” And we all laughed.

Laughing aside, it’s important to understand that folks are using things like Google Search or other mediums to find out about you and what you’re sharing online. Whether it’s for a potential job to which you’ve applied, perhaps you’ve filed for FMLA and your manager actually wants to see if you’re in Cabo for the week, if you’ve recently applied for a loan and your bank wants to check you, or if you’ve filed an insurance claim for disability and you’re your insurance company wants to make sure you’re not off skiing somewhere – folks are starting to use the internet to look you up.

That being said, it’s important for all of us to see how others are viewing us and make sure that you are being represented properly and protecting yourself and your personal brand.

I’ve heard recently that because of Google’s algorithm, for example, there may be things that others see about you online that even you’re not seeing about yourself. But there are certain things you can do to protect your online personal brand whether you are in job search mode or simply concerned about how folks are judging you, online.

  •  If you have a Google account, you can set up Google Alerts where you can get daily or weekly email notifications when your brand name (or your name, etc) shows up online. This is a great way to see where you’re popping up online and it’s free!
  • Google yourself (or use another search engine) often to see what’s actually getting out there and what others are seeing.
  • You can make your social accounts (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) private and change your settings – but why not simply behave yourself online. Most folks these days want to see your personality, interests and other things to see your human side. And, Recruiters and Hiring Managers are looking on these very same sites to fill key positions at their companies. See this Infographic about how Recruiters are using Facebook’s new Graph Search.
  • Everything you say online can and may be held against you. Here’s a great Infographic on managing your online reputation and some key things you can do to protect yourself. Take them to heart.
  • There are a few settings within Facebook that will allow you to remain semi-private. Here’s some info on the new privacy changes and what you can do to protect those privacy’s. Don’t fully disclose your birthday, street address and other information that others may potential steal and ruin your online reputation.
  • Don’t allow third party apps (especially within Facebook and Twitter) access to your information. When using these games and third-party apps within these platforms you are allowing them free reign to inside information and this can be damaging.
  • Don’t look at porn. If you simply find that you must do this – use an alter ego (a different name) so that these trails can’t come back to you. I see folks all the time on Facebook looking at naughty things and it’s posting to their Facebook walls. Just don’t do it. Go to the Library or something and use their computers :)
  • Think before you post. Don’t post status updates or pictures when you’re not being responsible or when you’re mad at someone. This is always the best advice to live by. These things can come back to bite you on the butt later on.

In the end, if you’re using social media and being aware of what you’re showing, what your’e posting and not making bad judgement’s then you should have no worries about what’s being found about you.

Go ahead and try it, Google yourself right now (I know you want to) and see what comes up. You may be a little embarrassed but I promise you won’t go blind.

Photo Credit: Sodahead

Building your online community BEFORE you need it!

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online community buildingI’m a part of a fantastic community called #TChat (Talent Culture) and World of Work started by the awesome Meghan Biro. You should check out the TChat radio program on Tuesday evenings and our Twitter Chat on Wednesdays > Read more about that HERE. This is a fabulous global professional discussion where we discuss things from Social Business and Branding to Careers and the World of Work.

This past Wednesday we discussed “Connecting Career Dots“ and let me say it was a great discussion. I learn so much from this community. You need to connect with them. It’s always great to learn from others in business and hear their expertise, experience and to always be learning.

One of the questions that was on the agenda that we discussed was our “What is your advice to those in the Job Market for utilizing technology” and my answer was a big “Build your Community BEFORE you need it!“

Building an online community takes time, effort and patience. Some people just don’t get this.

Some people start their social strategy without a strategy and think that they can immediately start selling their wares, themselves, their careers, their resume’s or whatever and that’s just not how it works.  It takes time to build a trusted brand and community that includes sharing others content, retweeting, interacting, engaging and proving that you’re an expert in your field. Why would you want to shoot it all to hell by self promotion?

Social Community Building is a sticky wicked. Granted, you’re there to show the world how fabulous you are but there is a thin line between self-promotion and showing you’re all that! It’s more about relationship building.

I have folks tell me all the time “Susan, you are so connected – how did you ever get that way?”

My answer? I follow folks that I wanna connect with. I engage with them. I share their awesome content. I make them laugh. I comment on their updates. And then they start noticing you…….it starts happening. They start following you back. They start commenting on your updates, and so on, and so on.

Yes, this takes a lot of time and perseverance. But the end justifies the means.

I know that if and when I need anything, I have a community that knows the answer or where to go to get it. These folks trust me and are totally willing to lend a hand, send a recommendation, help me get a job or refer me to someone who needs my goods.

If you were laid off today, do you have that community that you could go to for these kinds of things? Something to ponder.

Photo Credit: Andar360