Utah Jobing Community Blogs

Why?  

If you're not taking advantage of social media for recruiting and employment branding, you're missing out on a world of opportunity.  That’s why we’ve decided to launch Jobing Social Media Solutions.  

What? 

Jobing Social Media Solutions will help you build your social recruiting platform quickly and easily with our industry-leading social media tools.  It is essentially social media outsourcing at its finest.

How?

Whether you need a little assistance or a lot of help, Jobing Social Media Solutions is here to help you build and maintain your employment brand online.
Here are just a few of the services we can offer you:

·     Recruitment Social Media Assessment

·     Account Creation Management

·     Account Integration

·     Social Media Training

·     Account Promotion Strategy & Implementation

Who? 

Brett Farmiloe and Zach Hubbell are the social media managers for Jobing.com.  They consistently consult with companies, organizations, and associations on how to incorporate and implement a social media strategy that best benefits their business.    They’ve created over 1,000 Twitter accounts as a part of the Jobing.com social media strategy and provided internal training for each of the Jobing.com community team members. They are a couple of Gen Y’ers who frequently speak on the topic of how to use social media to attract and retain top talent. They are about as expert as can one can be in the emerging social media field.

Where? 

To get more information and have either Brett or Zach contact you to assess your social media needs, please go to http://saltlakecity.jobing.com/socialmedia and fill out the contact form.

Brett Farmiloe and Zach Hubbell can also be reached on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, or email if you have any questions about social media.  We look forward to hearing from you and launching your social media strategy.

Promote financial literacy in the lives of teens in your community! Volunteer to teach "Paychecks 101" on Money Matters National Education Day.

To volunteer is easy. Just visit www.nationalpayrollweek.com, and fill out the volunteer registration form. All volunteers gain instant access to the volunteer portal where they can download an easy-to-use lesson plan, teacher's guide and PowerPoint presentation.
Volunteer now!

Once you've registered to volunteer, contact your local school or youth group to reserve a spot to teach. Include the lesson plan with a letter to the principal to demonstrate the value and content of the event.

Chapter members: you can teach the Money Matters curriculum anytime before September 25 and still be eligible for the National Education Champions chapter contest.

Not sure how to get your Money Matters National Education Day event started? Get a CHAMPS referral from APA's Chapter Relations Department.

Joanne Gordon doesn’t consider herself a career expert, but she’s not afraid to tell you what she’s learned from interviewing other people about their job.  This is a summary of some solid career advice she offered the Pursue the Passion crew about being happy at work.  

Lesson 1- Get Close to Perfect 

One of the things about careers is that sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do to get to where you want to go.  Not every job is perfect.  Sometimes you have to say, ‘What can I get from this that will get me to where I think might be close to perfect?’

Lesson 2- Process. 

You have to think about the verbs of what you do everyday.  You should be skilled at and challenged by the main activities your job requires.    It should be something you have a natural inclination towards, but not so easy that you’re not intellectually engaged in it.  There should always be a challenge there, but not unattainable.  Think of a rock climber.  You’re challenged, but you’re not so challenged that it’s impossible.

Lesson 3- Purpose. 

You have to feel good about what you’re doing.  It doesn’t have to be altruistic.  You just have to believe in it.  

Lesson 4- People. 

You have to respect who you work with.  It doesn’t mean you have to like them.  It doesn’t mean you have to be best friends with them, but you have to respect them.

Lesson 5- Your First Job is Only Your First Job 

Your first job is only your first job.  You tend to think it’s the rest of your life.  But think about it.  You’re going to be on this earth for a long time.  You have such a long working life ahead of you that you shouldn’t stress about the first job.  Expect to be disappointed.  Expect to be confused.  Expect to be depressed.

Lesson 6- Informational Interviewing 

I have to say, I am a big fan of informational interviewing.  I think it teaches you stuff about yourself and about what’s out there.  You gain more knowledge.

You have to say, ‘That looks interesting.  Maybe I want to be a chef.’  So I’m going to go ask that chef and spend an hour with him and find out about what the hell he does everyday.  How he got there.  And then you’re like, ‘I don’t want to be a chef.’  One hour and you’ve answered that question for yourself.  

Lesson 7- You quit a job because of your boss.

The person you work for is going to make a huge difference on how you feel about your job.  That’s something to really think about.  You may say you hate your job or your career, but do you really hate your career, or is it just your job?  Should you look for a new company, or would you work for someone different?  

Lesson 8- What is starting over really? 

The longer you stay on the ladder, the higher and higher you get.  One day you say, ‘You know how long it’s going to take me to get this high on another ladder!?  I don’t want to jump now.’  That’s when people get stuck.  

I did PR for six years after college.  I hated PR.  It wasn’t part of me.  I felt bad, but I kept excelling.  Finally, I had to whip the rug out from under my life.  Chuck the salary and I broke up with my boyfriend at the same time.  I had nothing.  Uggh, I had nothing.  But I loved it. I went back to graduate school at 28.

Granted, I was the oldest person in grad school.  But I did feel it was going to be harder to start over the more I waited.  But what is starting over, really?  What are you losing?  

Lesson 9- Be Honest. 

You just have to pay attention to yourself.  Be honest with yourself about what your real skills are and what you really like and what you don’t like.  Try to be as honest as you can. Because sometimes you don’t want to admit certain things.  It’s okay to admit that you really want to work at a Forbes or a name brand place.  It’s okay to say that I really want to make a ton of money.  That’s totally okay.  Just be honest with it and then go do it.  

Pursue the Passion conducts interviews with people who are passionate about their job.  Over 300 interviews can be found at www.pursuethepassion.com.  The founder, Brett Farmiloe, and his partner in crime, Zach Hubbell, deliver keynote speeches to classrooms and HR Conferences across the country.  They will be releasing a book and documentary in 2009. 

• How long will the process take?
• Do you need a degree or do certificates or graduate programs exist?
• Is there demand for the job, once you are educated?
• What is motivating your change? True passion or a fleeting interest?

Education is a commitment, and one you must take seriously. When considering the time the program will take, you must be confident you are happy in your current job. Will you have the patience to wait until the end of your program before you are working in your new a career?

Considering the education options, what is truly needed? Is a full 4 year degree necessary, or will a 2 year degree help you get into the industry? Often passion and enthusiasm for the job will set you apart from others who have formal degrees. Using teaching as an example, you must be certified, so you much complete the degree. Yet, going from business to HR may simply require a certification. Investigate what is truly necessary to get your foot in the door.

As you embark on your change, is there a future for it? Fleeting interest fields often see a rise in people in the market and a drop off of demand. This was evident in crime scene investigation, due to the popularity of police shows. Not only ensure that you can gauge a demand for your career once your education is complete, but that you have a true passion for it. A fleeting interest or a fad will not last long.

The resources Jobing.com has to offer to help you find a great educational program include JobingEducation. Additionally, if you are seeking the benefit of a graduate degree, Grand Canyon University offers adults great online opportunities.

Use education to make a career change – for life.

Global resume expert and executive resume writer Laura Smith-Proulx, CCMC, CPRW, CIC is a former recruiter with a 98% success rate opening doors to prestigious jobs with powerfully branded resumes, LinkedIn Profiles, and portfolios that capture the attention of hiring authorities.

The principal of An Expert Resume, she is a 6-time international award nominee for excellence in resume writing, as well as a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Career Management Coach, and Interview Coach. Her work has been published in numerous career bestsellers.

When it comes to creating a compelling resume (especially one that wins interviews!), people often forget that this document has become a career marketing brochure--instead of a job application.

True "marketing" gives your audience reasons to engage and respond to you! To get at the heart of this idea, start thinking of the story of your career in marketing terms, rather than as a litany of jobs held and tasks completed that includes every detail.

This may come as a surprise, but employers don't want to read through all of your work history! The past decade is of most interest to them, as well as any and all relevant qualifications that prepare you to be their best candidate.

If you struggle to fit your resume onto 2-3 (or worse yet, 5-6) pages, this is a sign that something has to give--and it should start with the oldest and LEAST relevant information.

Since relevance can be hard to assess, here are some points to help you analyze what data SHOULD stay on your resume:

• What is the most important job that qualifies you for the position you want?
• Which projects demonstrated the type of work needed for your next role?
• What skills did you use that are necessary in the job you seek?
• Which of your employers is most prominent? Are any household names?
• Which of your job titles is most directly related to your current career goal?

Conversely, you can eliminate or minimize work experience based on the following criteria:

• Does the job predate your relevant experience of the last decade or so?
• Has the technology used in this job changed substantially?
• Would using the position title "date" your experience in any way?
• Are the tasks completed for this job far beneath your skills?

While it's difficult to pinpoint an exact date cutoff, most employers are interested in seeing experience dating back around 15 years.

After that, it's a simple matter of summarizing up the positions held by simply listing job titles and company names.

Remember--a resume is designed to market your career experience, not dump all of your information out for employers to filter!

The more relevant data you can provide, the easier it is for hiring managers to see why they need YOU on their team.

What's the alternative?  Add muscle to your work credentials and capabilities with Work Strong: Your Personal Career Fitness System.

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In today's world of work, you need (and deserve) every advantage you can get.  So, give yourself the one resource that will enable you to take charge of the one-third or more of your life you spend at work.  Get Work Strong today!

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1.  Use email job notification agents – many job boards will give you the option of conducting a search on a regular basis and having the results of those agents emailed to you (on Jobing.com we call them a Jobs-by-Email Agent).  These emails are a great way to stay on top of what is available whether you are actively looking or if you just want to stay aware of your options.  

2.  Apply to jobs that you are truly qualified or interested in.  It might be easy to submit your resume to many jobs that aren’t a very good fit.  Resist the temptation.  Recruiters are very busy people, and who knows – that same recruiter may have another position posted that is actually right for you – tomorrow!  Applying to jobs indiscriminately sends a poor message about the focus of your search and the quality of your candidacy.  

3.  Research the companies you apply to and tailor your resumes/cover letters to fit them and the position you are applying to.  There is no better way to impress a recruiter than to help them easily understand why you fit their culture and the job you are applying to.  So read the job description carefully, visit the company website, read the company profile, watch their employment video – research pays off.

4.  Use a variety of resources at first and find out what is working for you the best.  After a while you will be able to tell which is the best resource for you in your location and field of interest – then you can budget your job search time accordingly.  

5.  Keep updating your resume.  When searching for a job, I bet you notice how recently the position was posted – you might even filter your results to only view the freshest jobs around.  Similarly, employers search through resume databases looking for candidates that have recently updated their information.  Keeping your information current tells employers: 

a.  You are actively looking for new employment – now.

b.  Your information:  address, phone number, salary rate, and employment history are current and accurate.

c.  You are ready to interview, and perhaps even start your new job on a reasonable timetable.  

Whatever resources you use or advice you receive, remember there is no magic-bullet, no one single answer to finding the job you love.  Your job search is a process that requires your passion, diligence and the flexibility to continue to improve your approach.  

The Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP) is a professional, non-profit organization dedicated to the overall achievement and advancement of South Asian professionals. The primary focus of the organization is to foster a bond among South Asian professionals to unite and support each other locally, as well as to give back and contribute positively to the communities in which we live and work.

Join us this year at:

The 18th Annual NetIP Conference
Held in the Dynamic and Vibrant City of Toronto
Friday, Sept 4th to Sunday, Sept 6th 2009

• Engaging Panels and Workshops (covering finance, healthcare, entrepreneurship, culture, media arts)
• Film Screenings & Community Outreach Events
• Chic & Elegant Parties
• Captivating Entertainment (including a Bollywood-themed gala affair)

Create Memories of a lifetime and gain an opportunity to forge lasting friendships, as you mingle with elite South Asian professionals, network with industry leaders and meet top notch speakers!

For more information, visit www.NetIPConference.org.  

Circle forward to the internet days we live in now.  You have this wonderful ability to take advantage of what you pay for…advertising!  Tell job seekers about your company.  There is always something you can promote.  Company growth, industry leadership, location, benefits, challenge, work environment, income potential, opportunity for advancement, respected coworker, company car, stock options, flexible hours, job security, vacation packages, etc.  Whatever it is you have, flaunt it!

Unemployment is high right now and applicants are relatively easy to find but selling your company to prospects will help you find better people.  Better people mean better results and lower turnover.  Explain the job and the requirements well to counterbalance the increase in applicants you’ll get.  And that my friends, is what it’s all about.  A healthy, targeted response!!

Arte Nathan has staffed over 80,000 people in his life time.  When he was staffing the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas he was banned from all other casinos on the strip because competitor’s employees would ambush him and beg to work for him.  

What did this HR legend have to offer the Pursue the Passion crew?  Here are seven lessons and interview excerpts that were gathered from our forty-five minute meeting.

Lesson 1- Provide a Nice Work Environment 

People like to come to work at a place where there’s a lot of respect and fairness.  In most companies, the pay is about equal.  The benefits are about equal.  But the treatment is all over the place.  If you can provide a work environment where people have fun, feel as though they can get ahead, feel that there’s a lot of respect and fair treatment, I think they’ll stay with you.  

It’s good for people because they spend eight hours a day where they work.  You don’t spend eight hours a day anyplace else.  You don’t interact with the same group of people for eight hours in any other level of your life.  Employers have a responsibility to make it great.  If they don’t make it great, I think that they are cheating themselves, their employees, and their customers.  And it’s simple to do if you just think about it.  It’s not rocket science.    

I think a lot of things go into making a place nice.  Clean rugs, bright lights, nice windows…but really, it’s how you’re treated.  Does your boss know who you are?  Say good morning and good night?  Hello and thank you?  Those are just the things you learn as a human being.  It’s the right way to interact.

Lesson 2- Employees Respond Positively to the Golden Rule 

Back in the mid 1980’s and into the early 1990’s, hotels didn’t have a lot of Human Resource expertise.  They had people who maintained personnel files.  They had people who made sure that you got paid correctly.  

We started a program called Employee Services. It was to treat our employees like guests.  Over the years, we extended that to treating applicants like guests.  We treated them the way we wanted to treat our very best guests.

At the end of the day, we had the lowest turnover of any hospitality company in the United States .  Turnover went from 300% to 75% in six months, and down to 8% after a year.  We have to attribute that to this program of treating people well.  And putting ourselves in their shoes, understanding what they like, what they want, what they need.  Maybe it’s the golden rule- treating people they way they want to be treated.  And they responded very positively to that.  

Because people come to work everyday and they want to do a good job.  And they want to be recognized for doing a good job.  Or just doing the job you asked them to do.  So why wouldn’t you thank them for just that? 

Lesson 3- Human Resources isn’t a department, it is the department  

I was lucky that I had a guy like Steve Wynn, who loved Human Resources.  He believed that Human Resources wasn’t a department, it was the department.  It wasn’t a thing we had to do at the Wynn, it was a thing that ran our business.  He just kept supporting me in the ideas that I had, and I kept running to achieve the goals that he had.  And together, we were very successful.  I helped him open up a new casino in Vegas and in China . 

Lesson 4- If you’re in HR, you’re in an incredible position 

In HR, you have a chance to shape somebody’s life.  You have a chance to give employees something that they have hoped for in work, but rarely found.  Most people don’t find it.  I like to figure out a way to give it to them.  That’s what I love about Human Resources.

You can motivate anybody.  You can bring the passion out of people and put it into people.  If you don’t, I think you’re squandering the energy that exists within your group of people.

Lesson 5- Bad Companies Can’t Keep Employees 

We argue about this thing called the ‘War for Talent.’  I think that’s bullshit.  I really do.  Bad companies can’t find employees.  They can’t keep employees.  All you have to look at is how they train and treat their people.  They don’t put any energy into it.  And everyone says, ‘Employees are my most important asset.’  And they put no money into it!  Every chance they get they cut this and they cut that.  I think if you invest in your people, they’ll invest in the company and make it successful.  

Lesson 6- When you have nothing to offer, you still do 

Managers often say, ‘We don’t have enough money to pay our employees.  We don’t have enough of a budget to give big increases.  And I’ve got nothing to give my employees.’  Well, you have yourself to give to your employees.  If you do that with humor and humility, employees won’t be so fixated on the little bit that you have for increases.

I’m actually a trained clown.  I love to paint my face and goof around.  Because you can be stupid and silly.  And where else can you do that?  Employees don’t ever expect an executive to be stupid and silly.  But what they heck?  If you are, I think that presents management in a different light.  And I think people respect that.

Lesson 7- Give your employees enough rope to swing around on or hang themselves with. 

Control is not what it’s made out to be.  Control is an illusion.  There is no respect for a controlling manager.  There’s a lot of respect for managers who give you a lot of rope.  And that rope you can swing around on or you can hang yourself.  But it’s you who are responsible for making one of those two things happen.  Not the boss.  I think enlightened companies and enlightened managers today have recognized that. 

Pursue the Passion conducts interviews with people who are passionate about their job.  Over 300 interviews can be found at www.pursuethepassion.com.  The founder, Brett Farmiloe, and his partner in crime, Zach Hubbell, deliver keynote speeches to classrooms and HR Conferences across the country.  They will be releasing a book and documentary in 2009. 

Mistake 1 – Focusing Too Much on Responsibilities – Yes, you should be noting what you did but make sure you also mention the results.  Instead of saying made 60 sales calls per day, say made 60 sales calls per day to establish 5 leads and set 1 appointment.  Instead of saying created an automated billing system, say created an automated billing system which saved the company $500,000 per year in administrative costs.

Mistake 2 – Spelling, Formatting and Punctuation Errors – Right or wrong these errors tell the recruiter your attention to detail is lacking.  Perform spell checks, have friends review it and proof it yourself several days later.

Mistake 3 – Focusing on Yourself and Not the Employer – People tend to get wrapped up in describing themselves and their past work experiences.  Winning resumes indicate to the employer what you can do for them.  Of course you have to include both but make sure you comment on how your skills apply.  This is particularly important on cover letters as well.

Mistake 4 – Having Only One Version of Your Resume – In a perfect world, each resume you submit will be customized and sent with a customized cover letter.  It is amazing how much this will help.  At a minimum have several resumes ready for varying types of jobs.  A friend of mine recently created more than five versions…standard sales, sales job for which he’s slightly under qualified, sales job requiring management experience, sales job requiring travel, etc. 

Mistake 5 – Gimmicks – Rarely will using bright paper, unique layouts or crazy fonts get you an interview you wouldn’t have received anyway.  Recruiters are busy.  Send them a resume and cover letter they don’t have to decipher before getting to the details.

For these reasons and more, you would not say yes these questions: 

Are you generic?  Do you have no experience that relates to the job you are applying for?   

However, if you use the same general resume for every application – your resume may be saying yes to those questions for you.  

If you find a position you want, take the time to tailor your resume to fit it.  Here are some quick tips to make your resume relevant

1.  If you have a long list of old positions, unrelated to the one you are applying to, remove them.  These positions are clutter and will do nothing to support that you are the right person for the job.  

2.  If you have long lists of duties that are unrelated to the job you are applying to – refine the list to emphasize the skills, knowledge and traits specifically listed in the job description.  

3.  If you were to remove the objective from the top of your resume – would a person be able to tell what it is?  Make sure that your objective is both clear and supported by the every detail of your resume.  Even if you are applying to a new field and the jobs on your resume are not the same as what you are looking for – if you emphasize the skills and traits that are transferable and support your objective, your career goals will be clear.  

If the job is unique, and you are a fit – bring your resume in line and your chances of success will improve!

(Quick Jobing.com Tip – Save up to ten unique resumes using your My Jobing! account so your relevant resume is ready-to-go!)

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics states is clearly:

Education pays ... Education pays in higher earnings and lower unemployment rates

According to a March 2009 report by the Bureau, the median weekly earnings and unemployment rate of a person with less than school diploma is $426/week and 9% unemployment rate compared to a high school graduate at $591/week and 5.7% unemployment rate.  To put that number into perspective, over a lifetime a person with a diploma will make $ 430,000 more than a person without.

Now there are a large amount of opportunities open to the young adult and adult learner to support the completion of the high school diploma. Please research your high school opportunities on JobingEducation or visit Pinnacle Online High School directly.

Do you have time? Can you afford it? According to the BLS, you can’t afford not to finish your high school diploma. Good luck!

Brand in your job postings – The days of paying by the line are over!  Use the unlimited space websites offer to tell job seekers about your organization.  Why do people work for your company?  Do you have a “cool factor” that other employers in your industry don’t offer?  Tell your story to help recruit the right people.

Be consistent – Your employment brand starts with an honest look at your company and the existing employees.  Once you have determined your image it should be promoted in recruitment advertising and by recruiters.  Hiring managers should be an extension of the same brand.  The last thing you want is recruiters and hiring managers telling people different things.

Follow through – The most frequent complaint we hear from job seekers is the lack of follow through.  You’ve designed great ads.  You bring in interviewees and tell them all the great things about your company.  It is very easy to make the hire and forget about everyone else.  A simple email or phone call telling someone the job has been filled will dramatically help your image.  There are so many recruiters that skip this step and job seekers truly appreciate it.

The benefits of an employment brand are far reaching.  You get everyone on the same page.  Your recruitment efforts are more targeted which will help save time.  You become an employer of choice.  You make the right hires and keep people longer.  Everyone wins!

Here are some great reasons to blog.

1.  It increases awareness of your organization.  You provide a valuable resource to local job seekers and more people should know what you do.  Include a weblink in your profile to help drive traffic to your website.  Jobing is a known commodity with a large, smart, and devoted audience of job seekers, employers, non-profit organizations, community resources, and students.  We have the eyeballs.  Get your message in front of them.

2.  It improves your search engine rankings.  Google in particular loves user generated content.  Your blogs may pop up even before your corporate website. 

3.  It's free.  Targeted exposure that's free...it's a no-brainer.  We can afford to offer it free because good blogs bring traffic to our site too.  It's a holistic way of looking at marketing.  We like to call ourselves enlightened. 

Here's what works well...
Employment related advice and tips
Specific industry info, ie "what's it like to be in the insurance business?"
"Day in the life" pieces about a particular job or industry
Employment related community event promotion
Professional association information
Info about employment related community services
Job market news

Here's what doesn't work as well…
Solicitations
Anything "hard sell"
Info unrelated to employment, education, or the local community

Here's how to get started
Send me an email at randy.anderson@jobing.com.  I’ll respond with a few questions and help get you started.  Give it shot!