recruitingbloggers

An article in today's NY

3rd party app searches Facebook better than Facebook

by Glenn Gutmacher

It seems dozens of new third-party Facebook applications are launched daily. But ones of direct value to sourcers / recruiting researchers are rare, so I eyed with curiosity the aptly-named Advanced Search (also at apps.facebook.com/advancedsearch). While the Google hack for LinkedIn profiles that Shally initially developed is very effective, there's nothing analogous that's great for Facebook -- it's been a much more closed site to search engines.

In some respects, the Advanced Search app is more valuable than Facebook's own Profile Search because the latter only displays people in your networks. If you like Facebook's Friend Finder then you need to try this.

This app spiders data off profiles, and if you add the application, it gives you a chance to fix values on the version of your profile that this app uses. As its Manchester, UK-based inventor, Chris Claydon, describes it:

• Find facebook profiles for people who went to a particular school, college or university
• Find facebook profiles for people who work (or used to work) at a company
• Meet new people - Find people in your area by age/gender/relationship status
• Find people by any location or network - not just your own
• Find people even if you don't know their surname - narrow down the possibilities with age, location, etc.
• Displays big profile pictures in search results so you can recognize people you know

He claims over 80 million people's facebook profiles, 100,000 schools, 500,000 place names and 300,000 different workplaces (growing daily) are included, so let's help this app become more popular and we sourcers can take particular advantage of it. Where I see the most value is:

1. geographic searches (it lets you find people in locations outside the geographic network you belong to)
2. employer searches: for example, let's say you do a normal Facebook search across All Networks for Oracle. That delivers the maximum 500 results, but they are random (many having nothing to do with the company). If you type Oracle in the company field in the "Search by company or school" section at the bottom of the aforementioned results page (don't selected the prompted company choice of Oracle or Oracle Communication), that's better, but again you hit the maximum 500 and it's still not obvious which Oracle these people are from. Instead, go click the "a Workplace" tab in the Advanced Search app and type Oracle. Now you get the number of people currently or previously at each of 15 different companies containing the word Oracle! Though the resulting profile only links to details if the person has added this app to their own profile (another reason to promote this app to your friends), at a minimum, you still can see the person's name, the "Add friend" link and "Send message" link.
3. combine all criteria: The best part is you can combine the various types of searches into one (e.g., diversity criteria plus company name) like Facebook's own Profile Search but on a much larger scale. It's not exactly intuitive how to do this, so follow these steps: Start with your primary search criterion (click one of the tabs and search), then on the results page, click the "Find a date or new friend" link next to the appropriate result. For example, you could do the company-type search (e.g., type Microsoft), then next to the largest result (e.g., the one with over 1800 people), click the "Find a date or new friend" link. Now select Females for gender and MA for location. Ok, only a handful of results (and there are probably many more Massachusetts Microsoft women on Facebook), but you didn't need to be a member of the Microsoft network to run that kind of specific query!

The Groups search and Applications search are powered by a Google API, similar to what you can do with Custom Search Engine functionality so that's slightly disappointing, but it's convenient to have those searches here, also. Anything else? Advanced Search has a discussion board where you can ask questions, request additional functionality, etc., or you can ping the inventor directly about the app if you want to keep it private

Try out the app and comment below to tell me what you think of it, or any other great Facebook apps you've seen.

Watson Wyatt Suggests Internal Communication First

By Richard Becker

Never mind external communication for a minute, think internal too. According to Watson Wyatt, more than one in five companies (23 percent) plan to make layoffs in the next 12 months, with almost two in five (39 percent) reporting that they have already done so. But layoffs aren't the only concern employees have.

Hiring freezes also jumped from 30 percent in October to 47 percent this month. Eighteen percent are planning a hiring freeze in the next 12 months. Salary freezes jumped from 4 percent in October to 13 percent. And 61 percent are revising merit budgets. Other changes include any combination of the following: travel restrictions, benefit reductions, restructuring, reduced training, health premium increases, and salary reductions.

“All indications are that 2009 will be a difficult year for both companies and ultimately employees,” said Laura Sejen, global director of strategic rewards consulting at Watson Wyatt. “It will be up to employers to find an effective way to manage this challenge by balancing their financial situations with the likely impact on employee engagement.”

Watson Wyatt's report encourages employers to help mitigate the effect of any decision by considering employee morale, including: choosing the greatest cost savings while doing the least damage to the company's employment brand; communicating extensively and frequently; differentiating bonuses and pay increases; and heightening employee recognition programs. Here are some additional tips from employee communication programs we have developed with several companies over the years:

• Educate supervisors about any upcoming changes first. Not only are employees likely to go to them with questions first, such meetings also provide a forum to prepare for any unforeseen questions.

• Allow supervisors to communicate the basics. Studies consistently conclude that employees trust face-to-face communication the most, and look to their immediate supervisors as the most credible source of information.

• Demonstrate consistency in communication. Depending on the changes being made, employ the company's standard communication model (face to face, video conference, etc.) as a means to connect employees to top executives.

• Provide employees with written material. The outline should include why changes are occurring, what changes are being made, the rationale behind those changes (it will save jobs), and a defined timeline for communication updates.

• Establish clear lines of two-way communication. When employees have questions their supervisors cannot answer, scale for appropriate contacts, such as designated human resources personnel and/or high level management. Collect feedback and address concerns in follow-up communication.

• Communicate straight. Provide employees with clear expectations of what the changes mean, what management expects to happen, what management expects to do if it does not happen, and the frequency of updates to come.

• Notify all external stakeholders as appropriate. Provide a consistent message, including to the media if appropriate, with similar commitments to keep communication candid, open, and honest. In every case, communication should flow from the inside of the company, out.

• Follow up the communication frequently. Communication from supervisors should be reinforced by other established communication channels (eg. bill inserts, newsletters, bulletins, etc.), demonstrating the progress of the plan. (Avoid e-mail notifications as electronic communication elicits stronger emotions and has a higher risk of being forwarded.)

• Increase management visibility. Change represents an opportunity for management to establish trust with employees. It is especially worthwhile for upper management to visit departments to recognize top performers and teams.

While one Gallup poll pinpointed that employees are hoping to be reassured that they have "stability, trust, hope, and compassion," the word to remember is empathy. Understanding a person's experience by sharing that experience, especially in regard to layoffs or temporary cutbacks, can help communicators and management avoid breakdowns that leave management appearing unconcerned and untrustworthy.

Keep in mind, like all communication, communicating change is not a cookie cutter operation. It is a process that guides communicators through a series of steps, allowing them to make situational adjustments. Almost every company culture is slightly different.

More importantly, internal communication remains top of mind because no amount of external communication can reverse employee morale once it is damaged. In some cases, the effects of improper communication won't be felt until an economic turnaround, when disengaged employees will quickly leave. Where will they go? Somewhere that has created a climate of trust.

Not an option for recruiters or candidates: LinkedIn with Jason Alba 12-17-08

Recruiters who have not yet embraced LinkedIn (are there any out there?) and candidates who may still be resistant (some concerned about privacy or techno-phobic) should look for more programs like the 90-minute program held on 12-17-08.  The program was sponsored by Experts Connection™ and hosted by Kathy Simmons, President and CEO of NETSHARE. 

The program was structured well, with accompanying slides that were clear and not distracting. Jason moved through the content quickly, but paused frequently to check for understanding and questions.  Targeted toward executives who may not have fully embraced social networking tools, Jason offered a few key learning points:

• Social networking is key to marketing your brand.  Clarification of your brand is essential to career management.  Not sure about this?  Not convinced?  Think about Barack Obama, the most successful job seeker in the land and winner of Ad Agency's Marketer of the Year
• Online networking tools can make it easier for those who are not natural "schmoozers."  The Internet can make it easier to reach-out to new people, reacquaint yourself with former colleagues, and step outside your comfort zone to build new connections.  The big "but" here is that online networking should make it easier to conduct the warm networking that is still key to your success, e.g. association meetings, breakfast with colleagues, lunch with people in related fields, etc.
• Of the tools available, all have value, however, LinkedIn.com is not optional for anyone who is serious about career management. Jason is also a huge fan of Yahoo & Google Groups (find those whose interests are similar to yours and join); Twitter (the fast-growing micro-blog), and blogging in general (my suggestion - individuals might try the new application, Google sites)
• LinkedIn.com's value proposition is to facilitate connections with those you know (and may have forgotten) and those you want to know.  An effective profile is key to increasing your odds of being found by colleagues and recruiters; it may be wise to hire a professional to help create the profile and learn the ropes of social marketing.

This Experts Connection program included Jason's thoughts about Facebook, no longer a tool reserved for college students or Friday night plans.  Some key points: 

• There are no 2nd or 3rd degree connections through Facebook
• It is more casual, personal, and intimate
• While job seekers and recruiters have made inroads into Facebook, it is still more social than its business sibling, LinkedIn.  (This author believes business should leave Facebook alone.)

To offer the greatest value to participants, Jason focused on LinkedIn and talked about many of the features and new applications available to members. To learn more, contact a career professional or look for the 2nd edition of Jason's book, I'm on LinkedIn, Now What.

Recruiters who have not yet embraced LinkedIn (are there any out there?) and candidates who may still be resistant (some concerned about privacy or techno-phobic) should look for more programs like the 90-minute program held on 12-17-08.  The program was sponsored by Experts Connection™ and hosted by Kathy Simmons, President and CEO of NETSHARE. 

The program was structured well, with accompanying slides that were clear and not distracting. Jason moved through the content quickly, but paused frequently to check for understanding and questions.  Targeted toward executives who may not have fully embraced social networking tools, Jason offered a few key learning points:

• Social networking is key to marketing your brand.  Clarification of your brand is essential to career management.  Not sure about this?  Not convinced?  Think about Barack Obama, the most successful job seeker in the land and winner of Ad Agency's Marketer of the Year
• Online networking tools can make it easier for those who are not natural "schmoozers."  The Internet can make it easier to reach-out to new people, reacquaint yourself with former colleagues, and step outside your comfort zone to build new connections.  The big "but" here is that online networking should make it easier to conduct the warm networking that is still key to your success, e.g. association meetings, breakfast with colleagues, lunch with people in related fields, etc.
• Of the tools available, all have value, however, LinkedIn.com is not optional for anyone who is serious about career management. Jason is also a huge fan of Yahoo & Google Groups (find those whose interests are similar to yours and join); Twitter (the fast-growing micro-blog), and blogging in general (my suggestion - individuals might try the new application, Google sites)
• LinkedIn.com's value proposition is to facilitate connections with those you know (and may have forgotten) and those you want to know.  An effective profile is key to increasing your odds of being found by colleagues and recruiters; it may be wise to hire a professional to help create the profile and learn the ropes of social marketing.

This Experts Connection program included Jason's thoughts about Facebook, no longer a tool reserved for college students or Friday night plans.  Some key points: 

• There are no 2nd or 3rd degree connections through Facebook
• It is more casual, personal, and intimate
• While job seekers and recruiters have made inroads into Facebook, it is still more social than its business sibling, LinkedIn.  (This author believes business should leave Facebook alone.)

To offer the greatest value to participants, Jason focused on LinkedIn and talked about many of the features and new applications available to members. To learn more, contact a career professional or look for the 2nd edition of Jason's book, I'm on LinkedIn, Now What.

Animal Show Wed Dec 03 NOON EST

08.12.03: LISTEN HERE

GUEST: JOSH KAHN,
Sr Pipeline Generation Specialist

Josh on: Twitter, LinkedIn,
Blog1, Blog2, Recruiting Impact,
Sourcecon 2008, Visual CV

All call-in and listen information here

1PM: TELEPHONE SOURCING SHOW with Maureen Sharib

NOV 26: SORRY, NO ANIMAL SHOW TODAY

LISTEN HERE   SCHEDULE

  December 3rd: Josh Kahn

HIGHLIGHTS - LinkedIn Group - Reviews
Archive - Show Format - iTunes - Facebook

Good Gmail Trick

Source: OtherInbox.

Every Gmail account supports "plus addressing".

Every email address contains 3 parts. Let's call them the prefix, the @ sign and the suffix.

In bozo@gmail.com, bozo is the prefix and gmail.com is the suffix.

You can add "+anyword" to the prefix.

If my email address was bozo@gmail.com, I could use bozo+amazon@gmail.com on Amazon.com and bozo+facebook@gmail.com for Facebook.

Then I could set my email software to filter them into different folders based on the +anyword part of the address.

Many websites, however, won't allow you to sign up with a "+" in your email address, including Google Alerts.

The Branded Resume

Deb Dib on Resumes

Who Is Debbie Dib,
- a certified personal branding strategist

Length
- your resume has to be easy to read on a Blackberry
- that means two pages tops

- your other info can be shoved onto "collateral documents"
- eg. a case study of your top accomplishment, lists of speaking
  engagements, achievements, deals

Focus
- a personal brand is a well-defined image of you
- a clear, memorable image cannot be diversified
- you have to pick one or two strengths and market yourself on these
- your other skills are reduced to secondary status as value-adds

- hiring managers are more interested in an expert
  than a jack-of-all trades and master of none
- so she advises us to be brave enough to limit our offerings

Content
- if you list an accomplishment it means nothing in itself
- you have to prove it was important by showing its impact on the firm

How To Start
- lead off with your most important accomplishment with its
  proof-of-value so that if someone is scanning they are sure to see it

Impact Statements
- a sales rep can measure her impact on the bottom line by
  her relationship to quota and her rank among her peers
- if you build a process, there is no direct feedback in measurable revenue dollars
- however, you are supporting the departments that create the revenue
  and you have to highlight your relation to their earnings
- if your process saved x amount of dollars which was re-invested some
  initiative, you were a key factor and have to say so

Targets
- you can't make a one size fits all resume
- you have to talk about what is of interest to a specific target audience
- review your strengths and accomplishments then present the most relevant

Formatting
- leave enough white space to make it look visually pleasing
- get rid of grammatical and spelling errors

My Comment
- ironically, when you are up against other experts, your secondary skills
  (the value adds) might be the key differentiators

Source: Susie Guarnieri interviews Debbie Dib, at the Personal Branding Summit (audio here). Hat Tip: Diana Jennings

Abuse of Leadership

A Success Tip From The White House

Johnson also upset aides with his habit of adjourning a conversation to the bathroom when the need arose.

Those who were reluctant to follow him to the toilet were a source of great amusement to him.

He frequently recounted a story about "one of the delicate Kennedyites who came into the bathroom with me and then found it utterly impossible to look at me while I sat there on the toilet.

You'd think he had never seen those parts of the body before.

Source: Trivia Library

A Bad Attitude Is Hard To Change

Losers find it almost impossible to act like winners even when they win. -- Baldilocks

You’d think they’d be happy to have won, with no need to waste time and energy on such entertainment. But... the feeling of triumph goes hand in hand with the desire to spit on others in their overwhelming delight at their own victory.
-- neo-neocon