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Best of SHRM 2009

Another year…another SHRM conference.  This year’s show has been exciting, rewarding and did I mention exhausting! It’s hard to sum up everything from the last few days, but I thought it would only be appropriate to follow up on my list of the Top 10 Reasons to Attend SHRM 2009 with a list of the Top 10 Best observations at the show. 

1. Best Giveaway: SHRMWow by Benefit Focus.  When someone comes up with a creative idea like this, I have to give them kudos.  From the name to the actual give away, it is safe to say this was by far the giveaway that SHRM attendees went crazy for this year. 
2. Best Crowd Pleaser: Ultimate Software.  As the booth right next to Ultimate Software, we witnessed first hand just how excited the SHRM attendees were to participate in their demos to receive a chance to win one of 100 premium gifts. 
3. Best Kid-Friendly Giveaway: A stuffed monster from Monster.com.  Kids may be afraid of monsters under their bed, but this is one “monster” that I’m sure any kid would love.
4. Best Dressed: Black-tie attire at Beyond.com. As a company that offers “First-Class” recruitment, we thought it was only natural to dress the part in formal attire at the opening reception!
5. Best Booth: The Ladders.  Wow, it is truly impressive what The Ladders was able to do with their booth space.  They completely transformed an empty box into a beautiful and intricate street block, complete with foliage, a sidewalk through the middle, and excellent branding on screens throughout the space.
6. Best Presentation: OC Tanner. If you didn’t have a chance to sit down to watch the presentation by OC Tanner, then you really missed out!  Not only did participants have the opportunity to learn more about the company, but you could almost mistake OC Tanner employees for real life actors. Bravo!
7. Best Service: Snagajob.com.  Everyone knows that SHRM is exhausting, so what better way to relax and unwind than by stopping by the Snagajob booth to get a manicure and learn more about their company.
8. Best Branding: The Right Thing. From the enormous booth space to the branded lunch boxes, you couldn’t miss The Right Thing at SHRM this year. And the environmentally-friendly Smart Car giveaway made them stand out that much more.
9. Best Local Flavor: CareerBuilder.com. Everything that CareerBuilder did at their booth this year truly reflected the New Orleans flavor. Way to represent the city who hosted SHRM this year!
10. Best SHRM Party: Yahoo! HotJobs.  As always, Yahoo! HotJobs impressed us all with a fantastic party on Bourbon Street.  There was great food, lively music, fun dancing, and even some bead throwing off the largest balcony on Bourbon Street. 

Beyond.com Releases New iPhone Application!

Beyond.com is excited to announce the availability of its new application enabling users to search jobs across thousands of top-tier industry and local career sites directly from their iPhone or iPod touch devices. In addition to adding a new layer of convenience for job seekers, the app provides human resource professionals and recruiters with extended reach into both the active and passive job seeker communities who search for jobs on-the-go.

The announcement comes on the heels of Beyond.com’s recent relationship with Viigo to bring interactive job search capabilities and career content to BlackBerry^® and Windows Mobile device users via Viigo’s popular mobile application. With the launch of its iPhone/iPod app, Beyond.com now provides job postings across the three major smart phone platforms on the market today.

Employers and recruiters not only gain increased visibility to their job postings, but they can also access valuable articles and information on recruitment advertising and other HR-related topics. Job seekers can use the app to search jobs by keyword and location, view job details, forward jobs to friends and bookmark jobs. In addition, users can browse career articles for advice and tips on a variety of topics including job searching, resume writing and interviewing.

According to Apple^®, iPhone sales for the second quarter 2009 represent a 123 percent increase in unit growth from the same quarter a year ago with more than 37 million total iPhone and iPod touch devices sold as of April 22, 2009. Mobile broadband technology has changed the way people gain access to information, interact with one another and search for jobs, requiring employers to re-evaluate their recruitment programs to be sure their job postings are receiving the most exposure through a variety of distribution mediums.

“Beyond.com continues to invest in and expand its technology to deliver the most complete set of tools and resources to HR professionals and job seekers,” says Rich Milgram, CEO of Beyond.com, Inc. “With this new app, Beyond.com provides users with access to the latest information to help drive their careers; and employers with the ability to reach these job seekers where they learn, work and live online. With a growing number of savvy mobile users, we recognize the value of creating multiple channels for job seekers and employers to make connecting easier than ever.”

The new Beyond.com application for iPhone and iPod touch users is available on iTunes^®. Beyond.com will automatically roll-out additional app features and functionality to users to ensure they continue to benefit from the best Beyond.com Network experience, regardless of time or location.

A demonstration of the new app is available at Beyond.com’s booth at the 2009 SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition, booth #1213.

Counting Down to the "Oscars" of the HR Industry...SHRM!

In less than four days, the entire Beyond.com team will be on our way to SHRM in New Orleans. Although this year’s show is sure to be lots of fun, it will also be extremely beneficial to our company in terms of networking, promotional value and educational opportunities.

 

It is safe to say that Beyond.com spends a significant amount of time ramping up for what we like to consider the “Oscars” of the HR industry.  SHRM is our time to really demonstrate the value of Beyond.com to HR industry professionals, which we hope to do this year through our booth display, company messaging and promotions! 

 

With over 700 exhibitors at this year’s show, I know it can be challenging to narrow down the list of booths to visit.  If you are wondering why you should stop by Beyond.com’s both #1213, here is just a little bit of information about our company:

 

Beyond.com has been a leader in niche recruitment for over 10 years and has developed the largest network of niche career communities, consisting of thousands of targeted industry, local and specialty career sites.  Some of the exciting things happening at Beyond.com include:

• We Are Giving Away Diamonds!  Our niche network delivers top quality recruitment to employers.  So, we have decided to give away one-carat, high-quality, diamond earrings valued at over $4,000.  Visitors to our booth can also have a one in five chance to win $100 Tiffany & Co. gift certificates.  

• Beyond has Gone Mobile. We continue to remain on the forefront of new technology advancements in the recruitment space.  We have developed several relationships to provide the ability for our job seekers to access jobs on-the-go through multiple devices, which provide our employers with maximum exposure to their job postings.   

• Our Visitors Have Grown 26%. Over the last year, Beyond.com’s unique active resumes have increased by more than 26 percent. Not only have we recognized an increase in quantity, but the quality of resumes has continued to exceed expectations due to our unique ability to attract candidates through our niche network.

• We Have the Best Recruitment Data & Trends:  Beyond.com analyzes and reports national, local and industry-specific job and resume posting trends across more than 15,000 sites in our network, allowing us to better represent the employment market than over stand-alone sites.  This data can be sliced a number of ways to support a variety of media opportunities. We also conduct a monthly job seeker poll which adds great insight into what job seekers are thinking.

I hope that you will take the opportunity to stop by booth #1213!  If the diamonds aren’t enough of a reason, then I’m not sure what else would be!  Remember to check back on our blog to keep up with what is going on with Beyond.com or you can follow my Tweets live at the show (@TaraAtBeyond). See you in New Orleans!

Top 10 Reasons to Attend SHRM 2009!

With less than two weeks to go until the big show, I thought it would be fun to put together a list of the top 10 reasons to attend SHRM.  I know I am really looking forward to this year’s conference and I am hoping this list will help get you pumped up too! Please feel free to add to the list with some of your favorite reasons to attend!

1. Get your exercise. Forgo the treadmill and walk the tradeshow floor instead.  With more than 700 exhibitors at SHRM 2009, remember to wear comfortable shoes and get ready for a workout!
2. Set a record. Have you ever wanted to enter the Guinness Book of World Records? Well, after one day at SHRM, you might just hold the record for the most prize contests entered in a single day.
3. Redecorate your desk.  Has your employer recently cut back on office supplies? Help out by collecting as many post-it notes, pens, notepads, stress balls and hand sanitizers as your bag can hold.
4. Who needs to blend in? Where else can a grown woman wear a feather boa, colorful top hat and dozens of blinking buttons and be considered normal? SHRM!
5. Upgrade your workout wardrobe.  If you take away nothing else from the show, you will at least go home with a dozen new T-shirts that will allow you to advertise SHRM's finest vendors during your workout routine.
6. Be seen on the scene. Attend the hottest party at SHRM and get ready to dance the night away with the “Who’s Who” of the HR industry.
7. Understand your priorities. Give up all three of your corporate expensed meals to indulge in a few Pat O’Brian’s hurricanes instead.
8. Win diamonds!  Did I mention that Beyond.com will be giving away a pair of 1 carat diamond earrings valued at over $4,000 and five $100 Tiffany & Co. gift cards! Visit booth #1213 for a chance to win!
9. Collect beads, indulge in Cajun food, listen to Jazz and enjoy Bourbon Street! You know what they say…when in Rome!
10. What happens at SHRM stays at SHRM.  No explanation needed.

How to Create an Effective Job Advertisement

Employers should maximize their investment on their recruitment program by creating an effective job advertisement that is sure to both promote their company and attract high-quality candidates.  Although there is no one-size-fits-all recipe for a successful job posting, these simple tips can be leveraged to help compose an effective job ad:

• Communicate a mutually beneficial message. Tell job seekers about the opportunity, not just the position available. Cite unique selling points of the position – not just the salary and benefits - that may differentiate your position from the rest and make this opportunity an attractive opportunity. 

• Utilize well-known and familiar job titles. Include job titles that candidates will recognize so they can easily locate your position when performing a job search. Job seekers can be confused or mislead by job titles that are not clear, so it is best to be very specific so qualified candidates don’t skip over the job posting.  This simple trick can help to immediately increase the quality of your results.