Monday August 31st, 2009
New article on Examiner.com

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Monday August 24th, 2009
Just for Head2Head family members...

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Monday August 24th, 2009
Speaking at PMAC conference, Sept 24

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Monday August 17th, 2009
Between responsive and repressive, there are...swear words at work

[To the serious HR-types who will read this blog post and immediately become incensed at my lack of knowledge about anti-oppression legislation in the US: Before you comment, please remember that I am a recruitment marketing consultant whose job is about ensuring that the employment brand delivers positive experiences. So my perspective is about how this situation contributes to a positive work environment, not how it might get us into legal trouble.]

Every Friday, staffers at Head2Head take turns to do 'Friday Treat Day'. The tradition - started by President Paul Dodd back when H2H wasn't much more than "2 guys in a basement" and now in its 9th year - is that on Friday mornings, two H2H staffers bring breakfast for everyone in the office. This tends to get kind of competitive and fun.

Last week, my Friday breakfast partner and I decided to do a 'good breakfast/bad breakfast' gimmick: On the left side of the table were muesli, fruit and juice; on the right side were a variety of sugar cereals, danishes, and cookies.

The left side of the table had a photo of an angel, with the words 'Good Breakfast'; on the right was a photo of a 'sexy' angel, winking and flipping the bird, with the words 'Bad Breakfast'.

Everyone had a good laugh, and when the breakfast was over, the two angel pictures were tacked to the kitchen bulletin board, where we often put up newspaper articles, office notices, or thank you cards from candidates.

However.

This week, one of the members of the super-senior management team told me that there'd been a complaint (by a H2H staffer, whose name was not revealed to me) about the picture and that it was to be removed immediately.

It got me thinking.

On the one hand, I'm totally in agreement about removing it after a complaint. Our Employee Handbook and orientation guides clearly - and repeatedly - state that if an office behaviour is making you uncomfortable, you should tell your manager and that H2H is committed to being responsive to such concerns/complaints. So if the sign was offending someone, then by all means, let's take it down.

On the other hand, however, at what point do you say, "You know what? Our brand identity has always been a little irreverent; in fact our clients and consultants tend to be extra-loyal because we have a reputation for being fun, irreverent and not too corporate. It's deeply entrenched in our brand equity, and it would be detrimental to change it. And we go out of our way to let potential employees know this about us before they take a job with us, so it's not like you didn't know that we were like this before you decided to work here."

In other words: At what point do you draw the line? Heck, is there a point when you can ever say that? And at what point does catering to a single voice of complaint start to have a negative impact on brand equity?

In terms of marketing and brand loyalty, it's often better to have 3 people who are really passionate about your brand than 10 people who are apathetic about it. So in many ways I naturally prefer the 'bad angel' graphic - that kind of controversy is what generates passionate brand loyalists in the long-term, even if it alienates a few people in the short-term.

The other thing I'd like to know is by what, exactly, the complainant in this case was offended.

Was it the implied swear word? Because there's an awful lot of swearing that goes on around here every day. Do we need to address that?

Was it the implied blasphemy (i.e. angels shouldn't swear)? Well, first of all, flipping the bird isn't really blasphemy (it's not taking the Lord's name in vain) and second of all, not all of our employees are Christian.

Or was it something else about the picture entirely?

I dunno. I'm left in two minds about this. From an employee experience perspective, I guess I'm all in favour of taking something down if it's making someone uncomfortable. From a branding perspective, I know that if you try to please everyone, you'll end up pleasing no one - which doesn't sell widgets.

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Wednesday August 12th, 2009
98% of your career problems can be solved by personal branding - even if you're just an 'employee'.

[Names and identifying details have been changed to protect the bitter.]

The other day I overheard some grumbling between a couple of colleagues, aged 28-32 and with about 5 years' experience in their current profession.  "It's not fair," one said.  "Bob's only been here a year and he's already had a raise, a promotion, and even an award.  And now he gets to head up his own project!  I have more experience, have been here longer - and I definitely work harder."

To which the other replied:  "I know!  I don't see him working at his desk at 7pm every night, like I do, either.   So why do they [meaning 'senior management'] give all the good stuff to Bob?"

Well, knowing Bob as I do, I know exactly why he's getting the gravy:  He's built a great personal brand.

Personal brands:  Not just for consultants and C-suites any more

A few years ago, the only people who really needed to build strong personal brands were consultant-types (who needed a personal brand in order to land the $150/hour gigs) or C-suite-level execs whose personal brands were closely linked to their company brands (like Richard Branson or Steve Jobs, for example).

But personal brands are becoming more important for everyone - even if you're never going to be an independent consultant, entrepreneur, or C-suite exec at a multi-national company.  Here's why:

1. We're all on information overload, so we have to rely on specialists.  Thanks to technology and the internet, we've all got huge amounts of information coming at us 24/7.  We barely have enough time to stay on top of our own professions/jobs, let alone learn about others. 
   
   The result?  In many cases, we just have to 'trust' that an employee we've hired to run our IT department, transform our supply chain function, or process invoices does, in fact, know their profession - because we're never going to have enough time to know their professional well enough to really judge their abilities.
   
   That's where a personal brand comes in handy:  Let's say you're one of two top candidates for an intermediate Procurement Manager position.  Both of you have similar education, experience and skills, but the other guy's been writing a procurement blog for the past 2 years (and you haven't).  Who's more likely to get hired?  You guessed it:  Mr Procurement Blog, who's demonstrated that he's passionate about procurement, wants to be a thought leader, and has the kind of stick-to-it-iveness that every employer wants.
2. We all change jobs more often, so we have less time to build relationships with co-workers.
   In the days when people worked in the same department of the same company for years on end, your co-workers had plenty of time to get to know you and your skills, to know what you were good at and what they could rely on you to know/manage.
   
   These days, we're all changing jobs much more frequently, and we're required to demonstrate that we're 'delivering value' right from Day 1.  This means we have to hit the ground running with new colleagues, and no one's got a heck of a lot of time to get to know colleagues' skills and capabilities.
   
   A personal brand can make a huge difference here:  By making it clear that you're the 'expert' on topics X, Y and Z, you help your co-workers (and managers) make the most of your skills, experience and abilities right from the get-go. 
   
   Your colleagues benefit because they get a teammate who can quickly fill their gaps; your boss(es) benefit because you're more productive, sooner.
3. Keep yourself top-of-mind.
   Whether you're a laundry detergent or a hiring manager in the pharma industry, the key to success is making sure that when people need X, they think of you first. 
   
   Let's say your organization has 10 intermediate Procurement Managers, but only one of them writes a recruiting blog, encourages everyone to sign up for the RSS feed or regularly tweets about a presentation he gave, a template he developed, etc.  (in other words, all the stuff you do to build a personal brand). 
   
   Whose name is more likely to come up at a senior management meeting during which promotions or plum assignments are determined? 
4. Google is the great arbiter.
   Make no mistake:  Recruiters, hiring managers, bosses, co-workers and even former co-workers often while away an idle hour Googling people they work with, have worked with, or are thinking of working with.
   
   If Googling your name turns up evidence of a personal brand - like an article, blog, presentation, etc. - rather than just your Facebook page, you immediately have more credibility.  Which means better projects in the short-term - and better prospects in the long-term.

So, what are you waiting for?  Go start building your personal brand!

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Wednesday August 12th, 2009
Head2Head in the Globe and Mail

Sarah Welstead, Director of User Experience at Head2Head is quoted in a story on social networking and recruiting in today's Globe and Mail.

Speaking to the issue of the increasing clutter in the social networking space Sarah says "It's hard to keep people interested all the time, especially if you don't have a fun consumer brand."

Full article (may require subscription) at All thumbs? Recruiters may want you

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Monday August 10th, 2009
Recruiters are all over LinkedIn. How to ensure they find you first. (Part II)

DON'T FORGET:  This Thursday we're hosting another session of our ultra-popular 'Leverage LinkedIn as a Recruiter' webinar.  The last two were completely booked well in advance, but we've made a few more spots available this time.  It's totally free - just click here to register!

Guest blog by Kim Benedict, Director, Sales and Operations (and LinkedIn guru!) here at Head2Head

Editor’s note:  Here at Head2Head, we’ve been using LinkedIn for recruiting for more than 5 years, and are now recognized as the Canadian experts in using LinkedIn for research, sourcing, and building long-term relationships with top talent.  Kim’s guest blog below is the second in a 3-part series on how candidates can leverage LinkedIn most effectively. 

(Are you a recruiter?  We also host (free) webinars on using LinkedIn for recruiting.  The next webinar is scheduled for August 13 – click here   to register.)

So what can you do to ensure that recruiters not only find you on LinkedIn, but are interested enough to get in touch with you directly?  Here are our 5 tips:

1. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete, up-to-date - and active

Your LinkedIn profile says more about you than your resume and can be easily updated.  Ensure your work history covers at least the last 3 positions you’ve held (if applicable), and that your education section (including any recent certifications) is fully populated.  Be specific about your projects and achievements in these positions.

And don't just 'set it and forget it'.  Visit your LinkedIn profile at least twice a week (more if you're actively looking for a new job).  Regularly updating your "What are you working on?" (aka 'status') statement, for example, tells recruiters your profile is active, current - and worth taking a look at.

2.  Grow your network

On average, referrals and social networking account for 40% of a company’s source to hire (and this stat is increasing rapidly).  Closing the gap on your six degrees of separation puts you closer to potential opportunities and increases your visibility during the search process. The more connections you have, the bigger your network, and the more likely it is that recruiters will find you.  If you're actively looking for a new job, adding and updating connections should be a part of your daily routine.  Even if you're not actively looking, building your network is a great investment in your career - you never know when a recruiter will come along with your dream job.

3.  Make your profile attractive and appealing

Your LinkedIn profile is essentially an advertisement for you and your services.  Like any advertisement, it's designed to get the audience (recruiters) interested enough to learn more about you, and to give them the information they need in an easy-to-understand way.

Tips to make your profile more appealing to recruiters (and to others who may be in position to recommend or refer you):

• Ensure your spelling and grammar is flawless!
• Take the time to write a compelling 'Summary' (get a friend to write one for you if you're not a wordsmith)
• Add applications like 'Reading Lists' and update it regularly
• Showcase presentations or articles you've authored by using Slideshare to post them to your profile
• Make sure your status is open to receiving inmails and job enquiries – even though you may be happy in  your current position – you never know when a once in a lifetime job may land on your doorstep
• Get recommended and make recommendations

4.  Join groups

Recruiters will often use alumni or join industry-, profession- and role-specific LinkedIn groups to tap into groups of candidates with specialized skills and experience.  By joining groups appropriate for your career - and participating in the group discussions - you'll raise your profile.  And recruiters will often broadcast a job opening only to group members, so joining the group means you'll hear about opportunities first.

5.  Picture perfect

Like Facebook, Twitter, etc., LinkedIn is a social media tool.  However, unlike many other social media tools, LinkedIn is primarily for professional networking.  So your profile photo should reflect your "9-to-5" self.  In other words, stick to a professional-looking headshot - LinkedIn isn't the place for family snapshots or cartoon character avatars.

The bottom line

LinkedIn has long been the leading social media tool for recruiters looking to connect with candidates.  However, it's rapidly becoming the #1 resource - online or offline - recruiters go to when they're looking to fill a position.  Which begs the question:  If you aren't leveraging LinkedIn, will recruiters know you exist?

Next week:  More on using LinkedIn for recruiting!

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Wednesday August 5th, 2009
Recruiters are all over LinkedIn. How to ensure they find you first. (Part I)

Guest blog by Kim Benedict, Director, Sales and Operations (and LinkedIn guru!) here at Head2Head

Editor’s note: Here at Head2Head, we’ve been using LinkedIn for recruiting for more than 5 years, and are now recognized as the Canadian experts in using LinkedIn for research, sourcing, and building long-term relationships with top talent. Kim’s guest blog below is the first in a 3-part series on how candidates can leverage LinkedIn most effectively.

(Are you a recruiter? We also host (free) webinars on using LinkedIn for recruiting. The next webinar is scheduled for August 13 – click here to register.)

A new airport is opening in Dubai, and they’re looking to hire an HR professional with travel and training experience. It’s your dream job and you’d be perfect for it – but when their recruiter starts scouring LinkedIn for candidates, will they find you?

Recruiters are increasingly leveraging LinkedIn to connect to both passive and active candidates (in fact, our recent survey indicated that 70% of recruiters consider LinkedIn their #1 social media tool for finding top talent). Understanding how they’re are using it is the key to ensuring they find you first.

Top 5 ways recruiters use LinkedIn to connect to A-list talent:

REVERSE REFERENCE
Recruiters us LinkedIn’s Reverse Reference function to find people who have worked at a particular organization and/or on a specific initiative within that organization, such as and SAP implementation or HR transformation.

REFERRALS
LinkedIn allows you to use your connections to access a vast network of people. Recruiters leverage this by using their connections – and their connections’ connections – to find people who have the skill set and experience they’re looking for.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Currently LinkedIn has 43 million people in its network and is growing at a rate of 1 new member a second. Given the size of the talent pool recruiters with often look at your recommendations to assess and select A-list players.

GROUPS
Recruiters search industry specific groups as well as alumni associations on LinkedIn as part of their targeted selection process.

INMAILS
Recruiters use LinkedIn inmail campaigns and their status bars to broadcast opportunities.

Next week: 5 ways to ensure that recruiters find – and get excited about – your LinkedIn profile!

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About the Authors

Paul Dodd
Co-founder and President
Head2Head Canada

Paul has one simple goal: To help companies hire great people - and get the most out of every recruiting dollar they spend. That's why he's recognized as one of the best recruitment-industry thinkers in Canada.

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