EmploymentMetrix.com

I’m not in the Mood: Measuring Employee Happiness

“Feelings….nothing more than feelings…” 

The song “Feelings”, written in 1974 and performed by many artists since that time, is running through my head as I pen this post.  And now, with the addition of some new “human capital emotional monitoring tools” that have recently hit the market, perhaps HR professionals and business owners will soon be singing the same tune.

As the world continues to capitalize on the explosive use of mobile devices by building apps that make you look pretty or help you make your friends look fat, innovation in the HR space is no different.  Two recent
tools to hit the scene, emooter.com and morale.me, are hoping to help HR professionals better gauge the mood of their employees.  A third, called happi.ly, is rumored to be coming out later this year. 

Basically, the way these tools work is pretty simple.  As an HR administrator, just download the app or log in to the web site, set up the administrator account, and invite your employees to participate.  Employees then can click a smiley face or frowny face, or use a slider bar and tell the app how their feeling about their job.  Your employees can do this real time and as many times a day as they desire.  This data is then aggregated from all of the participating employees across the company and can be used to get a real time pulse on how your employees are feeling.  Think of it as an electronic mood ring for your employees.  Clever.

John Sumser, HR technology & recruiting expert, in a recent blog post discussing emooter, said “the upshot of the whole big data thing is that static measures will be replaced with ongoing constant streams of data.  Everywhere you see something that takes a periodic measurement, expect it to be replaced with something that measures continuously”.  I agree.  The question is, are HR departments--who are traditionally behind the 8-ball to adopt change--ready to handle the onslaught of real-time data that these tools could provide for their organization?

“Annual face-to-face reviews are obsolete,” says Joel Cheesman, mobile & online recruiting expert, and founder of Morale.me.  Joel sees his mood monitoring apps as a way for HR folks to get deeper demographic information about their staff.  As user adoption within the organization increases, eventually you’ll be able to use the data to determine that women employees are more happy than men, or that the the Dallas office isn’t happy, but the employees in the New York office love their jobs.   As more people begin to use his app, Joel plans to build out new features like heat maps and data reporting that would be accessible via a freemium\premium model.  Pretty cool. 

Joel goes on to say, “If you don’t want to replace your workers every quarter, tools like Morale.me can help Human Resources better gauge employee happiness and demonstrate that the employer cares about their workers.”  There’s no doubt that retention of key employees is important in every company.  More consistent and systemic monitoring of employee mood –as well as making changes based on the data--can help curb attrition. 

Most employees don’t just decide to up and quit. Every job has its ups and downs.  Some days, we leave work feeling like a rock star because we accomplished some goal or got complimented for a job well done.  Other times, after a clash with a boss or a stupid management decision that we don’t agree with, we leave the office saying “I’ve got to find a new job”.  When employees start thinking this way, they’ve crossed an invisible demarcification line.  It’s only after crossing the line consistently over a period of time that the employee finally makes that firm commitment to start looking, and moves from passive to active job search mode.  Tools like emooter and morale.me could curb this attrition by tracking the negative and positive ebb and flow of a company, helping management to recognize troublesome trends--and hopefully nip them in the bud before they grow.

Still, something doesn’t sit right.  I’m all for more communication between employer and employee.  Are these types of tools simply yet another way that technology replaces real human interaction?  Shouldn’t a good manager already know how his or her direct reports are feeling?  Work is work, and few of us are lucky enough to have a job that leaves us in a constant state of happiness.  By communicating frequently and face-to-face with the people they manage and asking direct questions like “are you happy here” or “is there anything that would make this role more enjoyable for you” can uncover deeper emotions about how employees feel than pushing a smiley face on an app. 

User adoption.  Will employees use it? Experience would suggest that those feeling negative will be more likely to consistently participate, but perhaps that is okay--after all, you can benchmark and react to the trend, not to the specific votes. But, given how difficult it can be to get people to fill out the once-a-year “How are we Doing” HR survey -- can we expect the same employees to open a mood monitoring app throughout the day?

Impetus for change.  Will HR departments and companies act on the data they’ve collected in a productive way? The major challenge with big data is that we sometimes confuse a lot of data with intelligence.  We may have the data, but it still needs to be interpreted and applied to the business.  If HR departments are slow to drive change with the current model of once-a-year reviews and surveys, how will they be able to handle a constant flow of real-time information?  If nothing changes, employees will stop voting, and morale will be worse off.

I like the innovation.  Just thinking realistically.

To step back for a second…is there a bigger picture for apps like these outside of HR?  Definitely.  Could restaurant owners get a real-time snapshot of how their patrons are feeling while they’re eating their meal?  Would psychologists or therapists benefit by the use of this type of data collection method to keep an eye on their patient’s emotional state in real time?

This first wave of online & mobile mood management tools is only the beginning of a new evolution of how HR can use mobile and technology to improve the organization.  I applaud the entrepreneurs who are focused on doing things better.  As Tim Berners Lee once said, “innovation is serendipity, so you don’t know what people will make.”

OK, I’m done with my diatribe.  And in the words of James Brown, “I feel good!”

 

About the Author:

Joe Stubblebine is Vice President of Corporate Outreach at Beyond.com.  Beyond.com, The Career Network, focuses on helping people grow and succeed professionally through 75 unique career channels and 3,000 industry and regional communities.

Joe has over 14 years of entrepreneurial recruitment products & services experience.  Prior to joining Beyond.com, Joe was the Co-Founder and CEO of JobCircle.com, a robust regional career site.  JobCircle.com was acquired by Beyond.com in 2012.  Joe was the founder of hired! Magazine, an employment publication in the Greater Philadelphia region.  He also founded SocialMediaPlus, a series of B2B social media conferences.  Joe has served as an IT consultant & project manager for many notable brands.  He has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer “Who’s Who Under 30”, “Top Tech” by Computer User magazine.  His company, JobCircle.com, held the 11th spot on the Philadelphia INC 100 List in 2002. He has made appearances on The Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, WWDB Executive Leaders Radio, and The Eye Opener, PHL17 in Philadelphia. Joe attended Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in Accounting.

 

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Who will win the war for Resume 2.0? Ten Visual Resume Tools Reviewed.

Before it was easy to build your own blog, before Facebook was hot, before the ability to tweet a message to the world…getting your skills and qualifications in the hands of the right people was much different than it is today.

Not so long ago, job search meant sweating over an IBM typewriter—or in later years—a word processing program, driving to the local stationary store, picking up the parchment paper, and getting just the right stamp for the outside of the envelope.  And, most of the time your envelope would be opened by a real person, who would experience your application from both a visual and tactile sense as they unfolded your resume and cover letter and perused the contents.  Back in the day, these were just a few of the resume rituals that were quite commonplace.

Fast forward to now. At the push of the button, you can apply to almost any job, anywhere. A job seeker has access to more jobs, more companies, and more opportunities. And, of course, employers have their pick of more candidates, with more experience, from more places. Job seekers have more jobs at their fingertips, but are competing against far more people. Employers have more talent at their disposal, but struggle to identify the best talent amidst the sea of applications.

In the process the resume has been downgraded to mere words in binary format, competing for the attention of computer systems that are the gatekeepers to recruiters. The traditional resume still persists but, as renowned HR expert Peter Weddle recently said, it is about as “inspiring as a brick.”  In fact, in a recent Beyond.com poll, over 57% of the HR professionals we polled said that an infographic or visual-style resume would help them more quickly evaluate candidates over a traditional resume.  And, 79% of jobseekers said that they wish they had a better way to present themselves online.  Resumes are primed for an upgrade.

In the age of social media, your personal brand is king.  You are the marketing department for the product of “You”.  You are the sales person for yourself.  And the cacophony of available self-publishing, self-branding, self-broadcasting tools is exhaustive and overwhelming.   Every day, a new social network pops up or some new-fangled job search site promises to give you all the jobs, handle the apply for you, and make your job search quick, easy, and painless. And yet, most job seekers still must rely on a few pages of largely unformatted copy and bullets to get hired.

At present, that is the reality. A more evocative resume doesn’t play well with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs), and 93% of hiring managers are still going to ask for the traditional resume at some point during the hiring process.  But, recruiters and HR folks are already stepping outside of their systems to get a fuller picture by searching Google and looking people up on social media to find out who they really are.  A growing number of companies are developing alternatives to the traditional resume. Over the next few years, these formats will continue to gain traction, become better integrated with ATS systems and other technology, and grow more widely used and accepted by job seekers and recruiters.

Here’s a look at 10 companies that are leading the charge in enabling professionals to craft a more visual resume and make a better online elevator pitch.  I graded each tool based on eight important criteria to demonstrate their value (see addendum).

#1. About.me (http://about.me/joestubblebine)

About.me is an AOL product that is probably more of a visual calling card then a true online profile.  Some of you may be old enough to remember emurse.com, which ran the race with VisualCV (reviewed below) back in the day.  Emurse was acquired by AOL in 2009, and AOL killed the service in July 2012 to focus on about.me and Huntsy.com, a jobseeker job organization tool.  About.me provides you with the ability to pop in a paragraph or so about yourself and link up to your other social profiles.  Although you can change background pics, drag and drop stuff around, and change some fonts and styles, there’s no resume upload feature, or any other especially useful tools that would be especially helpful for job search.  This site may be more useful for public speakers, artists, or singer/songwriters who simply want a visual calling card that is quick and easy to set up and has a slight artistic flair.  Out of all of the profile sites reviewed, this was the only site that had any real traffic outside of LinkedIn, Beyond.com, and Facebook.

Ease of Setup:	A
Editability:	B
Look & Feel:	B
Career Focus:	D
Social Connectivity:	C
Community Value:	D
Sharability & Contactability:	A
comScore Unique Visitors (Feb 2013):	392K

 

#2.  Beyond.com (http://Beyond.com/JoeStubblebine)

OK…full disclosure: I work for Beyond.com, and I’m a big fan of the Beyond.com Career Portfolio.  I had no part in the design of this product, it was in the works before Beyond.com acquired my company.  If you still think I’m being biased, try it for yourself and you’ll see.  Beyond.com’s new  Career Portfolio was just announced about two weeks ago, and literally takes about 2 seconds for a new user to set up a portfolio.  Simply email your resume to portfolio@beyond.com, and your profile and member account will be created instantly using information parsed from your resume.  If you’re one of the 30 million members that already have joined Beyond.com, then the next time you log in you’ll see the start of your personal portfolio based on the information that the site had already received from you.

Beyond.com’s Career Portfolio is a really visual way to clearly display your skills and abilities, and incorporate a few cool marketing snippets that can catch a recruiter’s eye and call out the things that make you unique.  Editing and organizing the information is a piece of cake.  You can also add videos, references, and an intro/cover letter.  Basic customization (i.e. color schemes, header tags, section sorting, etc.) is also provided.  The portfolio allows for all types of information to be presented, including certifications, education, interests, skill tags (up to 20), and creates a very nice visual timeline that incorporates both your education and work experience.  I especially like the accomplishment chicklets that gives you the ability to quickly create some cool stats to brag about yourself.  It’s shareable, and one click to the Text version allows recruiters to cut and paste your resume into their applicant tracking system.  This tool is pretty much a one-stop shop for a career-focused portfolio product. 

The only drawback is that I can’t pull in my profile from LinkedIn to start the process, but I guess I could dump out my LinkedIn profile as text and just send the text version to the parser at portfolio@beyond.com and it would work.  I’d also like to have the ability to plug my other social communication outlets in to my Beyond.com Career Portfolio so that I could display my last few tweets and Facebook comments and make my profile feel alive, current, and connected.

Overall, given Beyond.com’s 5.7 million monthly visitors, and the fact that Beyond.com serves the recruitment needs of tens of thousands of employers through its 2,500 niche geographic and industry-specific sites, I’d say that it’s worth the time to set up a profile here.

Ease of Setup	A
Editability	A
Look & Feel	A
Career Focus	A
Social Connectivity	D
Community Value	B
Sharability & Contactability	B
ComScore Unique Visitors (Feb 2013):	5.7M

 

#3.  CareerCloud (http://social.careercloud.com/sr/jstubble)

A fairly new player on the scene, CareerCloud was built by a friend of mine, Chris Russell.  I refer to Chris as the “Mad Scientist of Recruiting”.  He’s a very smart entrepreneur who’s always creating new products and new ventures, and he also happens to be a respected player in the online recruitment and product services arena. 

Overall, not bad for a first pass.  However, providing for only a LinkedIn import as the main source of data, it didn’t give me the option to edit my LinkedIn profile after importing it, or upload a resume.  As I was setting up the visual resume, it only allowed me to add up to 8 skills, it didn’t tell me that my glamour URL would be my username, and there was no way to change it after you set it up (thus my ugly glamour URL).  Site speeds were fairly slow at times, and the end product--while functional--didn’t wow me visually.  On the plus side, setup was a breeze, allowing me to quickly connect with and pull in my social platforms quickly.

CareerCloud is still in beta, and in recent conversations with Chris, he says he’s adding new features and will be improving site speed in the next few months.  If you want to help out a friend of mine, build a profile and provide him some feedback via his CareerCloud profile.

Ease of Setup	C
Editability	D
Look & Feel	D
Career Focus	B
Social Connectivity	A
Community Value	D
Sharability & Contactability	A
ComScore Unique Visitors (Feb 2013):	N/A

 

#4. Facebook (http://Facebook.com/JoeStubblebine)

While Facebook is not a pure-play recruiting platform, it is still worth mentioning here.  As Facebook Graph Search continues to be rolled out, more and more employers will turn to Facebook to recruit candidates.  I covered this in detail in my Don’t Get Caught with your Pants Down blog post last month.  Facebook allows you to publish your “Work and Education” section publicly, and you can choose to allow search engines like Google to index your Facebook account.  As this catches on, Facebook has the potential to radically shift where recruiters go to find talent.  Although the Work and Education section doesn’t allow an import from LinkedIn, doesn’t allow you to share locally, and is pretty much a boring list of your past jobs, Facebook is the largest social network in the world.  And now that employers can search for you based on skills, likes, and employers through Facebook Graph Search, it makes it worth your time to ensure the professional side of your Facebook account is up-to-date and set to be visible to the public.

Ease of Setup	B
Editability	B
Look & Feel	D
Career Focus	D
Social Connectivity	B
Community Value	A
Sharability & Contactability	C
ComScore Unique Visitors (Feb 2013):	143.1M

 

#5. Kinzaa.com (http://Kinzaa.com/JoeStubblebine)

The site still says “beta” at the top, but with the stiff competitors out there, I’m not sure if this one should even make it past beta. 

The Kinzaa experience starts by pulling in data from LinkedIn, and provides nifty little visual tool to quickly identify top skill keywords (up to 3) to associate with each job and allocate percentage of time spent on those skills.  I hit a couple of site errors that created a bit of a hassle, but setup wasn’t too painful.  The result is a pretty standard infographic that left me feeling a bit blah.  I wasn’t given the ability to incorporate my social channels, point to my videos on YouTube, or even add more than 4 skills.  Social sharability was non-existent.

Ease of Setup	C
Editability	D
Look & Feel	C
Career Focus	C
Social Connectivity	D
Community Value	D
Sharability & Contactability	D
ComScore Unique Visitors (Feb 2013):	N/A

 

#6. LinkedIn (http://linkedin.com/in/joestubblebine)

LinkedIn.  The big daddy of online profiles.  In just three short years since going public, LinkedIn’s revenues attributed to recruitment grew by 100.7% in 2012 to $523M, while Careerbuilder’s North American revenues only increased 5.4% to $661M.  LinkedIn is catching up fast, and employers are shifting dollars quickly to the professional networking giant.   

Overall, Linkedin’s profile is fairly unimpressive and generic, but they have HUGE eyeball power, and a LinkedIn presence is a must-have for any jobseeker.  Of course, if you didn’t know this, you’ve got bigger problems than I can help you with.  Setting up the profile is one thing, but the value that LinkedIn brings to the table (outside of the networking, connections, groups, and the entire social platform), is that the endorsements, recommendations, and connections can be a big boost to create an impressive online image with validation from others in your network.

Establishing and maintaining an up-to-date profile on LinkedIn is a must for everyone, even if you’re not actively looking for a job.

Ease of Setup:	B
Editability:	A
Look & Feel:	B
Career Focus:	A
Social Connectivity:	D
Community Value:	A
Sharability & Contactability:	A
ComScore Unique Visitors (Feb 2013):	42.2 million

 

#7. ResumUP (http://resumup.com/me/5563296#) 

Not just a visual portfolio product, ResumeUp attempts to solve the lofty challenge that has been tried by many throughout the years.  Not only does the site allow you to create a marginally attractive infographic, it also provide you with career planning tools that attempt to help you get from where you are now to where you’d like to be.  Another heavy user of pulling in LinkedIn data, ResumUp provides a decent interface for allowing you to edit your portfolio once you’ve pulled in your info.  I couldn’t find any way to change my Glamour URL, and there was no way to upload a resume.

The biggest differentiator was the fact that ResumeUP provided a career planning tool.  However, in my experiments, it didn’t seem all that effective.  As a commenter on an earlier product review that Melanie Pinola of LifeHacker pointed out…the recommended path from CEO to US senator:  CEO -> Natural Sciences Manager -> Operations Research Analyst -> Human Factors Engineer and Ergonomist -> Soil and Plant Scientist -> US Senator.  Not good.  I wouldn’t recommend spending too much time on this one--just get yourself a good career coach.

Ease of Setup	C
Editability	C
Look & Feel	B
Career Focus	A
Social Connectivity	D
Community Value	D
Sharability & Contactability	B
ComScore Unique Visitors (Feb 2013):	N/A

 

#8. Re.vu (http://Re.vu/joestubblebine)

Re.vu is a pretty cool way to create a visual profile.  The experience starts with your LinkedIn account, and then provides for the addition of several types of self-promotional data, including skills, education, proficiencies, quotes, and personal stats.  Overall, it’s pretty easy to edit and customize, but the graphics don’t wow you visually.  It also allows you to provide a “traditional” resume that visitors can download. When logged in, Re.vu displays the number of visitors, time on page, resume downloads, and how many times you’ve been contacted.  Overall, not bad, but with traffic figures that are too low to register, building a profile here is like putting a billboard on a deserted island.

Ease of Setup:	B
Editability:	B
Look & Feel:	B
Career Focus:	A
Social Connectivity:	D
Community Value:	D
Sharability & Contactability:	B
ComScore Unique Visitors (Feb 2013):	N/A

 

#9. Vizify (http://Vizify.com/joestubblebine)

Vizify starts the process by putting its hooks into your social profiles, including LinkedIn, Foursquare, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram…and BAM!  Really cool looking profile.  Visually, this site’s offering is pretty darn cool.  More than just a one-page profile, it presents your information in 15 or 16 pages, creating a sort of visual slideshow that could be tedious to recruiters.  For marketing, advertising, creative, or media types who are heavy into social media, this could be neat; but for the average guy who doesn’t tweet, doesn’t really use Instagram, and is reticent to share access to Facebook, this tool may not be for you.

Ease of Setup:	A
Editability:	C
Look & Feel:	A
Career Focus:	C
Social Connectivity:	A
Community Value:	D
Sharability & Contactability:	A
ComScore Unique Visitors (Feb 2013):	N/A

 

#10. VIsualCV  (http://VisualCV.com/joestubblebine)

VisualCV was one of the early visual resume players to market.  When they were on the verge of shutting down in 2011, Talent Technology swooped in to save them at the last minute—yet the site feels a lot like a ghost town today.  The site has all of the basic features to build a profile, but the overall functionality and usability is pretty 1.0.  The resulting profile isn’t very sexy.  They claim to also get you exposure to hiring companies, but clicks to pretty much all of the 6-7 companies that were listed that use the site led to broken links.  I’m a big fan of Talent Technology and they’ve got some really awesome products, but I think that VisualCV needs some updates to remain competitive.

Ease of Setup	C
Editability	C
Look & Feel	B
Career Focus	B
Social Connectivity	D
Community Value	D
Sharability & Contactability	B
ComScore Unique Visitors (Feb 2013):	N/A

 

Conclusion

In summary, LinkedIn has the breadth of professionals using their tool.  Facebook has active social connections, and a very powerful Social Graph search.  Beyond.com may have the edge with a graphical career-oriented tool that also helps get you in front of the eyeballs of employers.  Overall, as evidenced by the healthy landscape of online visual resume products, entrepreneurs and innovators are hearing the cry of jobseekers to create better tools.  But, we’re still in the early phases.  As more and more jobseekers seek and adopt solutions that break the norm, then perhaps the impetus will arrive for the traditional resume—and the thought processes behind it—to evolve.

Addendum:

My Methodology

Category	Description
Ease of Setup	How long does it take to set up a profile?  How fast and simple was it?
Editability	Can I quickly edit and customize my profile?
Look & Feel	How am I represented online?  Was the profile visually compelling, and did it tell a good story?
Career Focus	Did the site represent me professionally?  Was the site recruiting/hiring focused?  Are recruiters likely to be there?
Social Connectivity	Can I pull in my Twitter feeds, LinkedIn Data, or Facebook posts into my profile?
Community Value	Does my setting up a profile on the site give me good exposure?  Will I be able to connect and network with others easily?  Does the site have a large user audience?
Sharability & Contactability	Can I socialize my profile quickly and easily?

 

About the Author:

Joe Stubblebine is Vice President of Corporate Outreach at Beyond.com.  Beyond.com, The Career Network, focuses on helping people grow and succeed professionally through 75 unique career channels and 3,000 industry and regional communities.

Joe has over 14 years of entrepreneurial recruitment products & services experience.  Prior to joining Beyond.com, Joe was the Co-Founder and CEO of JobCircle.com, a robust regional career site.  JobCircle.com was acquired by Beyond.com in 2012.  Joe was the founder of hired! Magazine, an employment publication in the Greater Philadelphia region.  He also founded SocialMediaPlus, a series of B2B social media conferences.  Joe has served as an IT consultant & project manager for many notable brands.  He has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer “Who’s Who Under 30”, “Top Tech” by Computer User magazine.  His company, JobCircle.com, held the 11th spot on the Philadelphia INC 100 List in 2002. He has made appearances on The Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, WWDB Executive Leaders Radio, and The Eye Opener, PHL17 in Philadelphia. Joe attended Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in Accounting.

 

 

 

Poor Communication Stands Between Veterans and Jobs

For too long veterans have been struggling to find work and it’s not because they lack the skills required to get the job done. There’s a disconnect between civilian skills and military training. The unemployment rate for veterans remains at 10 percent, despite the numerous advertisements that highlight the value military training will bring to a service member when it’s time to enter the civilian workforce.

The national unemployment rate is at 7.9 percent, so why is it so much higher for our veterans? Members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families make great sacrifices in order to serve our Nation and we owe it to them to help them successfully transition into the civilian labor market when their service comes to an end. A common issue many veterans face when they come home is that they are forced to go through redundant training to do jobs they were already doing in the military. But, if someone can perform a job in the stressful environment of a warzone, can they not do it in a safe one? And why does the civilian labor market not recognize the training that our veterans bring to the table?

The other night, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart highlighted this issue. Jon Stewart conducted mock job interviews with two army medics to see if they’d qualify for positions as a nursing assistant and a school nurse. When the first medic revealed that she didn’t have a BS in nursing and did not take the national counsel licensing exam, Stewart asked her to share an example of why she’d qualify for such a position despite not having these two requirements. Staff Sergeant Meg Mitcham then went on to share a heroic story, “We were driving down the road and a bomb went off, and a bunch of people got injured. So I used the resources I had at time to stabilize three different patients at the same time, stop bleeding, call in a medevac request, and ensure that they were kept alive until they reached a higher echelon of care in country."

Now, Mitcham has left the army and is looking for a job, but is having a hard time finding a position she’s trained for, although she is more than qualified. Despite her performance on the battlefield, her resume probably won’t even be considered. How is this even possible?

We at Beyond.com surveyed more than 1,700 professionals earlier in the year and we learned that poor communication often stands between a candidate and a job. Professionals say that HR managers and candidates communicate differently and that’s what’s happening to our veterans too.

There’s a communications gap that both veterans and hiring managers are experiencing. Hiring managers need to do a better job of recognizing and understanding military training and veterans need to do a better job of translating the skills they acquired in the military into everyday civilian tasks.

Now yes, this is easier said than done, but here are some tips to help hiring managers and veterans bridge the gap.

For Veterans:

1. Market Your Military Training for the Civilian Workplace. While you may have had a very specific job in the military, you need to inventory the skills you gained to understand what skills are marketable in the civilian workplace.
   
   
2. Ditch the Military Jargon. Military resumes tend to run on the long side, they’re also sometimes too broad in focus and full of military jargon. The acronyms used in the military are completely lost on civilian hiring managers. While your resume may sound fancy, your resume probably won’t be read because few people understand it, so abandon the military lingo.
   
   
3. Find the Civilian Equivalent. While you may have had a fancy title in the military, like Supply Sergeant do some research to find out what that translates to in the civilian world. Spoiler alert: it’s Supply Manager or Logistics Manager.
   
   
4. Highlight Your Military Skills in your Career Summary. Start your resume with a career summary that shows what you can offer to an employer by explaining how you can transfer your military training into the position you’re applying for. When you craft this statement, remember not to use military jargon.
   
   
5. Don’t Pack Your Resume With Unrelated Information. If there are items on your resume that have to do with your military service that don’t relate to the job you’re applying for, don’t include them, this may include awards. It’s okay to include awards where appropriate, but there’s no need to list all of the awards you received.

With Veterans Day coming up, companies will have vets in mind as they evaluate candidates. So now’s the time to update your resumes (and portfolios).

For Hiring Managers:

1. Don’t Discount Military Experience. While a former serviceman might not have all the requirements for the position you’re trying to fill. Many veterans are trained to do the job you’re hiring for, they might just lack the formal certifications a civilian may have. Hopefully in the future things will get easier for both civilian hiring managers and veterans thanks to an initiative for service members to earn civilian-equivalent occupational credentials and licenses. This way vets won’t have to go through hours of duplicate training efforts.
   
   
2. Hire an Employee with A Global Outlook. Many veterans are quite knowledgeable when it comes to international trends that impact the economy. If your organization would benefit from someone that has a knack for understanding global trends, consider hiring a veteran. This might not be a skill they list on their resume or portfolio, but it’s usually an added bonus that comes with the hiring of a former service member.
   
   
3. Invite Vets On Your Team to Participate in the Hiring Process. If you already have veterans on your team, get them involved in the hiring process. A former serviceperson applying for a position with your organization may have a stronger connection with a fellow veteran. Plus, the vet on your team can act as an interpreter, to help the hiring manger better understand the candidate’s military training and experiences.
   
   
4. Make an Effort to Understand Where Veterans Are Coming From. Transitioning from military life to civilian life isn’t something that happens overnight. Hiring managers should keep this in mind. When interviewing or reviewing a veteran’s resume do a little research to understand what this person did while they were serving our country. Doing a little legwork will go a long way.
   
   
5. Consider All Candidate Qualifications. In some cases where a vet might not have all the requirements to do the job, consider the other qualities that they bring to the table like the ability to work well on a team, the ability to lead, respect for procedures, and of course integrity, valor, and pride.

This is something to keep in mind, not just around Veterans Day—when someone lists military service on their resume, know that you have the opportunity to hire a hero. To search veteran resumes visit Beyond.com, The Career Network at www.Beyond.com.

May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

For those of you who have read “The Hunger Games” or seen the movie, you are quite familiar with the phrase “May the odds be ever in your favor.” This is a common wish bestowed upon the citizens in the book and film and after reading the book and seeing the movie twice (that’s right I’m living the life of a tween) this phrase got me thinking about talent acquisition (that’s right now I’m living the life of an HR Pro).

But it got me thinking because from the perspective of the candidates and hiring managers they BOTH feel as though the odds are against them.  With so many candidates looking for jobs and numerous resumes that hiring managers need to sift through, how is it even possible that companies are hiring the right people? 

Five Tips to Ensure You Hire the Right Employee

1. Take Your Time When Crafting the Job Description: Before you start advertising make sure that the job description is accurate.  Don’t just slap something up because you’re in a hurry to hire.  By carefully creating the description now you’ll save yourself time (and money) later by not bothering with unqualified candidates.
   
   
   
2. Ask Your Current Employees For Referrals: Some of the best candidates come through the recommendations of current staff members.  This is also great because candidates that are referred often have an honest view of what the work and environment will consist of—so expectations are already set and there is often times less of a learning curve.
   
   
   
3. Go After The Passive Job Seeker: A passive job seeker is more thoughtful about changing jobs than someone that is unemployed.  The reason being that the passive seeker doesn’t need to jump at the opportunity.  Because of this, the passive seeker will most likely move jobs and stay put longer than someone that needs a job right now.
   
   
   
4. Bring the Candidate in Multiple Times: I know that often companies will have a candidate meet with several team members during one visit to their workplace, however I think that bringing the job seeker in to meet with members of the team a few different times will help you to really get to know the applicant.  You might catch them in different moods, in different environments etc… which will help you see what this person is like in varied circumstances—which might help you, see who this person really is.
   
   
   
5. Don’t Be Impulsive: Hiring an employee is a big expense.  Don’t just hire someone because you’re desperate and that person is good enough.  Make sure you hire the right someone, so you don’t regret it later on.

We hope that you find these tips helpful (and we know these are nothing you don’t already know,  but sometimes it's nice to have a little reminder).

Happy Hunger Games! I mean, Happy Hiring!

Yay or Nay: Employers Asking for Candidates' Facebook Passwords

I can’t let this topic slip by and not mention it. 

Employers are asking candidates for access to their Facebook accounts.  Today, when a job seeker applies to a job they should not be surprised that an employer will scour the Internet for info on the candidate—and their first stop will most likely be Facebook.  However, if they land on the candidate’s page and find the page to be privatized, they may now start asking the candidate for their password.

When I read this last week I was shocked! Sites out there train us to know that this kind of behavior is not okay.  Usually in their terms and conditions there’s even some kind of language that says “No one from our site will ever ask you for your password, if someone ever does do not give it to them.” So how do employers expect candidates to respond if they’re pressed for their Facebook password? 

With so many job seekers out there competing for jobs and the attention of employers, I would hate for candidates to think that by handing over the password to their Facebook account that they now have a leg up on the competition.

I expect that this practice will fizzle fast because employers that engage in this behavior will have a hard time recruiting candidates because no one wants to work for an organization that doesn’t trust its employees.  What kind of message does that send?

Facebook has taken a stance on the issue as well, saying that this is an invasion of privacy, even threatening to take legal action against organizations that ask for candidate passwords.

Everyone has a right to their privacy—if a candidate’s Facebook page is private, their references check out and they’re not a serial killer—there is no need to ask for their password—after all there’s a password for a reason.

Let Candidates Know When they Haven't Made the Cut

I recently read an article that talked about the importance of sending a thank you note to an employer after going on an interview. I am all about the thank you note; however when reading the comments on this particular article almost every job seeker expressed their anger because employers often do not follow-up with candidates.

With an 8.3% unemployment rate, I understand that HR managers and recruiters need to manage the applicant process a little differently, but candidates are people too and they shouldn’t just be dismissed—especially if you met the applicant in person.

When a candidate goes on a job interview they’re interviewing you too.  If you give off a bad impression (which includes no follow-up after the interview) candidates might not want to work for you.   As an HR pro you’re most likely the first impression a candidate has to an organization and if you give off the impression that you’re uninterested in the applicant—that vibe doesn’t go unnoticed.

Now I know that recruiters say that they’re inundated with applicants, but applicants are not asking for much—just a simple “No thanks” would suffice.  You can probably even automate this process.  But job seekers are tired of being the ones to do the right thing, HR pros are being judged too, so it’s a two way street—if you conduct an interview—follow up!

Do you follow up with applicants to let them know they didn’t make the cut?

If You Don’t Factor Mobile Into Your Recruitment Plan You’re Making a HUGE Mistake

Sometimes when I’m in a public place—riding a train, walking down the street, or even sitting in a restaurant, I love to observe how many people are engrossed in their cell phones.  And I will tell you I’m no different. 

My Smartphone is my lifeline, I don’t leave home without it—I don’t even leave a room in my home without it (but don’t tell my mother that, because then she’ll wonder why I don’t ALWAYS answer the phone when she calls).

But I have become so addicted attached to my phone that I do EVERYTHING on it, from paying bills, checking movie times—and buying movie tickets, sending emails, playing Words With Friends (I recently discovered that “Nachos” is not an acceptable word—I know I was shocked too!), to reading my favorite blog, EmploymentMetrix (shameless plug!).  So with so much reliance on our Smartphones and unfortunately a large number of people out of work, it is little surprise that job searching and recruitment has gone mobile—in a big way!

Mobile job search apps are BOOMING and the number of candidates searching for jobs on their mobile devices has skyrocketed by more than 100% in the last year alone. So if you’re an HR Pro that has yet to factor in mobile into your recruitment plan, you’re making a BIG mistake.

Check out the latest infographic from Beyond.com—it shows that more than 77% of job seekers use mobile job search apps.  Job Seekers use these apps to quickly react to new job postings, discreetly search for jobs, and simply the freedom it allows them to search for jobs anytime from anywhere.  Potential candidates are no longer tied down to their home computer to search and apply for jobs, now they can do it on their commute to work, while they’re waiting in the doctor’s office, or even waiting for that barista to make their favorite tasty beverage.   So if you have yet to jump on the mobile bandwagon you’re going to be left behind—that goes for HR pros and job seekers alike!

Does Fit Matter When It Comes to Hiring?

You wouldn’t choose to hang out with someone on a consistent basis that you have little in common with, right? So why should that not be a factor when screening a candidate for a position within your organization? If you’re anything like me, you spend the majority of your waking hours Monday through Friday at work and if I had to work people I had nothing in common with (BESIDES work) I’d go crazy! 

While we do a good job of screening candidates here I know that personality doesn’t always win out when it comes to hiring, which in my opinion is a big mistake, but I wanted to validate my feelings so I turned to the masses.

We recently asked more 7,400 professionals across the Beyond.com Career Network, “Should the person that is most qualified get the job?” and more than 73 percent said that a candidate’s personality should play a part when bringing new employees on board. But there are of course always exceptions to the rule.



Sometimes you’re looking for that specific skill set that can only be found in a personality type that doesn’t mesh with your corporate culture, so sometimes it’s unavoidable, but in the long run hiring people that ease into the team will make going to work that much easier for everyone else. 

So how do you ensure you’re hiring candidates that fit?

1. Know the typical personality type of the position you’re filling and stick to those guidelines throughout the interview process.
   
   
2. Ask the appropriate interview questions that will draw out the candidate’s true-self-not just their interview-self (or as I like to call it “first-date-self").
   
   
3. Have the job candidates take a personality test, so you can see what kind of worker they are, how they handle stress, etc…
   
   
4. Have the team members that will be working closest with this person have the final say.  By the time the potential employee meets the team, there should already be a pretty good sense of the candidate’s skill set—so the team should be able to give a quick yay or nay on if they’ll mesh.
   
   
5. Set expectations for the candidate appropriately.  To avoid any confusion or miscommunication, make sure the potential teammate has a clear idea of what the job entails and how the organization works as a whole.
   
   
6. Don’t hire someone out of desperation.  When you make that offer make sure it’s to a candidate that’s going to be the best person for the job when it comes to both skill set and personality. Don't do it because you need to fill a spot and you need to do it NOW!

Looking Forward to Some Fun in the Sun at IAEWS

Master of Ceremonies Rich Milgram will Lead the Bi-Annual Gathering of Recruitment Industry Leaders

Rich Milgram, Founder and CEO of Beyond.com, focused on helping people grow and succeed within their careers, will serve as Congress Chair for the International Association of Employment Web Sites (IAEWS) Fall Member Congress, to be held on September 7, 2011 in Hollywood Beach, FL the day before The ERE Expo begins.

The IAEWS's bi-annual Member Congress unites executives and industry leaders in online recruitment to share ideas and strategies for future growth and success. It is the only event that is 100 percent dedicated to improving the operations and financial performance of online employment services organizations.

"We are very excited to have Rich participating in this year's event," said Peter Weddle, IAEWS Executive Director. "Rich brings a wealth of experience and insight to his role as master of ceremonies and joins a distinguished list of previous chairs, including Aaron Matos, CEO of Jobing; Shawn Boyer, CEO of SnagAJob.com; Don Firth, CEO of JobsinLogistics.com; Kim Peters, CEO of Eluta.ca; Tony Lee, EVP of Adicio; and Constance Melrose, EVP of Dice."

"I'm honored and excited to be a part of this year's IAEWS Fall Member Conference. It's always a great opportunity to be surrounded by other professionals in the world of recruitment," said Rich Milgram, CEO at Beyond.com. "I look forward to reconnecting with old friends and colleagues, meeting new ones, and sharing our current challenges and recent strides."

Going to be at the IAEWS Member Congress?  Be sure to say hi to Rich!  Also, ERE attendees stop by booth #301 to say hi to the Beyond.com team.  Looking forward to seeing you in Hollywood!

The Benefits of Searching for Jobs and Candidates via Mobile

Beyond.com CEO, Rich Milgram recently had the opportunity to create a guest post on the HR blog, Recruiting Trends on the topic of mobile recruitment strategies for both employers and job seekers. With the trend of mobile phones to do everything but make phone calls, this post further examines the benefits of searching for jobs and candidates through mobile devices.

Read the full post.