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Where is Social Media Going with Our Next Generation

July 31, 2009 in Experience Your Future, Job Search, Jobing Foundation, jobing.com, Pursue the Passion, What do I want to be when I grow up | Tags: , , , , , , | by | Leave a comment

I had an interesting conversation last night that led me to think about social media in a new light.  I whole heartedly believe that social media is here to stay.  It’s the collective voice of the masses.  And technology has evolved to let the bunny out of the hat.  There’s no putting it back.  However, this dinner conversation just gave me cause to stop and think for a bit.  How do organizations really capitalize on social media?  And is it really reaching the audience?

Our next generation to join our workforce has grown up with technology.  The first IBM PC was designed and released in 1981.  The first Macintosh was launched in 1984.  My daughter who turned 18 2 days ago was born in 1991, and we had a computer in our home several years before that.

Now granted, my daughter does not know how to look up movie times without an internet connection.  But I digress.  I started in talking about the dinner conversation.  We were out celebrating that milestone — E’s 18th birthday.  With us were my husband, her cousin A (age 16) and A’s cousin J (age 17).  That put two boomers and three Gen Y’s at the table. 

Here’s how the conversation progressed…

E and A were talking about the benefits of MySpace.  E has had an account since middle school.  She has always heeded the advice of the news and made her profile private.  A is pretty much the same.  A said she just finally got a Facebook account.  She only conceeded to a Facebook account because so many of her friends were on it.  Especially her friends from around the globe that she’s acquired because of her involvement as a Girl Scout Camp Counselor. 

E basically said, I’m not giving up my MySpace.  A agreed and said she really doesn’t understand Facebook.  Didn’t like the fact that all her comments were generally public to all of the people she accepted and wanted to be able to customize the backgrounds.   A admitted that she only really knew how to accept friends and to reply to messages… Then she turned to me, “Oh by the way, Aunt Vicki, have you invited me to be a friend yet?”  I replied that no I hadn’t but that I would right then from my Blackberry.  “Wow, you can do that?”

Yes, E said my mom’s a “nerd”.  And then she brought up Twitter.  She said that she had only just recently learned about Twitter like a week before.  She found out that I’d been Tweeting for a few months.  A inquired about what Twitter was, and I went into my lengthy, albeit nerdy explanation.

This gave A pause.  She turned to me and said “What ever happened to someone just picking up the phone?  Don’t people ever talk any more?” 

Long story, short… just made me question… We’re all working to figure out this thing called social media and the best way to reach our markets, especially the up and coming generations.  Are we?

Employment Brand Goes Green

July 10, 2009 in Jobing Foundation | Tags: , , , , , , | by | 1 comment

Companies have been capitalizing on their green initiatives for many years for marketing and sales efforts. Consider the premium we pay for organic foods, green cleaning products and energy saving appliances. So what does it mean to go green for an organization’s employment brand?

The triple bottom line now incorporates profits, people and planet. All three are strongly interconnected. Companies will profit from hiring, keeping and improving productivity of top talent… people. People thrive and produce where they feel a strong connection to the organization and its reputation. Many companies report lowering overall costs by going green, thus improving profits. Especially with the current economic climate, employment brand means more than just creating a company where individuals want to apply for employment. It’s also creating a working environment where top talent chooses to stay and contribute to the turnaround and long term success.

81% of the U.S. workforce prefers working for a company that has a reputation for environmental responsibility, according to a survey by Ipsos Morey. Generation Y demands it. In the CSR Monitor by GlobalScan, 70% of recent college graduates reported that they would not even apply to an organization that they deemed socially irresponsible, while 68% disagreed that salary was more important than social responsibility. The bottom line is that individuals want to be proud of the organization for which they work.

This places human resources at the center of a company’s efforts to go green and its effects on employment brand. Consider organizations such as Google, Timberland and GE that have taken full advantage of their green efforts to enhance employment brand. They’ve all taken a strong strategic approach to both implementing and then well publicizing their efforts. While perhaps a bit simplified, following are some quick tips to going green with your organization’s employment brand:

Consider the audience. What’s important to your employees and your targeted candidates? Focus your green efforts in areas that matter to the talent you are working to attract and maintain.

Include and engage employees. Involve employees from all levels of the organization in the company’s efforts to go green by creating an advisory council. They’ll become evangelists from within and build both support from within as well as being strong advocates in the public.

Tell others about your efforts. Being a strong corporate citizen is a good thing. It’s okay to brag about it.

  • Devote space in your employment website to tout the company’s environmental reputation. Work with your public relations department to get media attention for your efforts.
  • When your employees volunteer en masse for an environmental clean up effort, getting their picture in the local media serves a dual purpose. Employees receive a form of public recognition for their efforts, and it creates a positive public image.
  • In order to attract top talent sensitive to environmental issues, it’s okay to sing your own praises in all forms of recruitment advertising.

Develop environmentally-friendly benefits. Retention efforts can be improved by including creative benefits that specifically address green concerns. Some examples include holistic health benefits, paid time to volunteer for environmental issues, financial support for alternative transportation options such as bus passes or rebates for purchasing hybrid cars, organic snack options in the employee break area, and matching employee contributions to environmental causes.

Recognize and reward. A sustainable environmental brand (pun intended), can be supported by acknowledging efforts publicly and rewarding individuals with pay incentives and inclusion in appraisal systems.

And finally, measure. Just as with other goals, the only way to know the long term effects of going green on the company’s employment brand is to review appropriate HR metrics including effects on recruitment, retention, employee satisfaction, and productivity.

Twitter Survey: Why This #Job?

July 9, 2009 in Jobing Foundation, Pursue the Passion, What do I want to be when I grow up | Tags: , , , , , , , | by | Leave a comment

On the way to work the other day, I was musing over the mission of the Jobing Foundation which includes the idea of helping individuals find a passion for their work. I’ve read a number of studies that say that any where from 50% to 65% of individuals that are working today would like to leave their current positions, but have stayed because of the current economic climate. And as soon as they feel comfortable, they’ll start looking for work elsewhere. I also know that many studies have verified that people leave their employer, not the job. Hmmmm… Is it that people just don’t know why they’ve chosen the career path they’re in?

So I thought I’d have a bit of fun with it and conduct my own totally non-scientific survey for a day. For one 24 hour period, I vowed to ask everyone I spoke with “Why this job for you?” And then I’d tweet about their answers… in of course, 140 characters or less. Yes, I cheated a bit. I didn’t put down all of my coworkers because I thought that might skew the results a bit. In general, I did my best to ask everyone. Here’s the twitter chatter from that day. Of course, this is reverse chronological… kind of like a resume because Twitter updates have the most recent at the top.

@tracehillman I love your “Why this #job!”
about 21 hours ago from web in reply to tracehillman
Why this job Emily hostess I like the people I work with … Not really the job … But its okay its a job
7:45 AM Jul 8th from txt
Why this #job robin software developer .. I really fell into it … I had a company willing to take a chance and train
8:16 PM Jul 7th from txt
Why this #job Jeff construction sales its in my blood
5:43 PM Jul 7th from txt
Decided I didn’t need to ask the guy on the corner “Why this job” His cardboard sign told me “Wife 2 Kids No Job”
3:57 PM Jul 7th from web
Why this #job – Brandon Exec Director @therbcc “I utilize all my talents & skills. I wake up every morning & get to make something happen!”
2:06 PM Jul 7th from web
why this #job-mary-CR/recruiter “It’s the PERFECT storm! Brings all my background-education, training, community, healthcare, HR, recruiting
1:28 PM Jul 7th from web
@tracehillman My #Corporate Social Responsibility #CSR ppt is on its way! Thanks for attending!
1:06 PM Jul 7th from web in reply to tracehillman
why this #job – Happy (yes that’s his name) security guard – “i’m retired military, looking for something easy. Essentially i was born lazy”
12:59 PM Jul 7th from web
Why this #job juniper / restaurant server “cuz I needed a #job
12:45 PM Jul 7th from txt
Why this #job bob steel erector “I’ve been doing it for 10 years … Its what I do”
12:34 PM Jul 7th from txt
why this #job for you? Rohit Health Communications @rkverma — It’s what I trained for! It’s what I love to do!
12:27 PM Jul 7th from web
Why this #job for you @Jobingdenver Andrea we change lives / dean it was made for me!
11:16 AM Jul 7th from txt
Jimmy why this #job … Really? Cuz its a perfect fit! I make a difference
10:24 AM Jul 7th from txt
Paula print #sales why this job #marketing in college PT print #job … If I lost my gift of words I don’t know what I’d do
9:57 AM Jul 7th from txt
Barista why this job? Its a job … Its a job
9:45 AM Jul 7th from txt
Amee dental hygenist why this job? It combines everything I wanted .. Medical, teaching, time for family
9:32 AM Jul 7th from txt
For the next 24 hrs asking everyone I see “why this job?”
8:33 AM Jul 7th from txt

What did I learn? My observations just generally were that those that seemed the most engaged and had a long extended answer (most over 140 characters) were the ones that were living their life on purpose. They didn’t necessarily have it all planned out. They were open to and accepted opportunities when they showed themselves and fit the job to their personal strenghs. Others took a job because it paid. Don’t get me wrong. I believe we need to work to live, not the other way around. Yet might as well enjoy the ride!

You can follow me on Twitter@JobingFndation. And please, yes, I’d love to know from you “Why this job?”

@JobingFndation

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