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4 Tools To Help You Attract Talent to Your Company

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While the job search has almost gone global thanks to the Internet, it’s getting harder and harder to find qualified enthusiastic employees. Manpower’s 2016 Talent Shortage Survey found that 40 percent of global employers are not able to find the right talent for jobs that need to be done.

What’s the answer? Making sure that the right talent is naturally flowing into your company is the first step to take. Here are four tools to help you do that:

  1. Serpstat: Boost your Google rankings for relevant terms

According to Unbridled Talent, 30 percent of all Google searches, about 300 million per month, are employment related. Google is the most popular job search tool among job seekers. If your company “Hiring” page ranks high for related job seeking terms, you are guaranteed to constantly receive resumes from interested candidates.

Serpstat is a keyword research and competitor intelligence tool that helps you discover relevant keywords and identify those you may be able to rank high for. Look for lower competition numbers: These are the keywords you stand a chance to rank on page of Google search results.

Serpstat

  1. Twchat: Launch a branded hashtag

Launching a branded hashtag is an effective way to turn social media noise into a meaningful brand asset. A hashtag will let you stream your company updates allowing future job candidates to monitor your job openings and career opportunities.

Twchat is a great way to claim and brand your company hashtag. You can set up a regular Twitter chat to discuss your company culture and vision  (like Zappos did back in 2008) or you can set up a stream to archive tweets mentioning your hashtag.

Tweetchat

A few tips for you to come up with a great hashtag:

  • Keep it short: Tweets are only 140 characters long, you want people to to be able to say a lot when they use your hashtag
  • If you are into local business, try and incorporate your location name into the hashtag. Check other local businesses to avoid any terms that may confuse your business with another local one. Use sites like Yelp and DirJournal for that
  • Always Google your hashtag and check Urban Dictionary to make sure your term is not branded by someone else or that there’s some wicked slang connotation
  1. Drumup: Get your current employees on board

Most of your employees are already on social media, most of them are discussing their workplace with their friends. It is a wise idea to turn this activity into something useful and beneficial for your brand.

Employee advocacy is a sadly often ignored marketing and talent recruiting channel that opens up lots of opportunities. According to Inc., using employee advocacy results in five times more traffic and 25 percent more leads. On the hiring perspective, employee referrals have the highest applicant to hire conversion rate – only 7 percent of applicants are via employees but this accounts for 40 percent of all new hire hires (Source: Jobvite)

Drumup employee advocacy program offers tools for your team members to share and re-share brand updates. Use Drumup Leaderboard feature to setup monthly contests awarding most active or creative employees sharing updates about the company.

Don’t forget to encourage your employees to use your brand hashtag whenever they share their workplace experience.

  1. Cyfe: Monitor your progress

Finally, making it a process means creating a system around it. Cyfe is a multi-purpose business dashboard allowing you to monitor lots of things and metrics within one page. You can use Twitter search widget to monitor your branded hashtag. You can import spreadsheets to keep keyword ideas handy. You can use a custom widget to import anything else though native APIs.

Cyfe

Turning your company into the talent magnet takes time and effort and having the right tools handy is the key. Are there any tools we are missing? Let us know!

Photo Credit: thebiblioholic Flickr via Compfight cc

Remote Working: Easier With These Nine Tools

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Remote working can be beneficial for both employer and employee. One study found that remote employees are happier, more productive, and 50 percent less likely to quit. But while working from home eliminates distractions you might ordinarily find in the office, it can be harder to collaborate with your team, monitor your hours, and stay connected with your boss. Thanks to technology, though, there are a few online tools that can alleviate those issues, making your remote work easier and more efficient.

Work at High Speeds with the Right Internet

Before you can use any online tools, you need reliable, fast Internet. The amount of Internet speed you need depends on your daily tasks. You want to make sure you have enough bandwidth to handle your needs, especially if you are streaming music and webinars, sharing large files, or holding video conference calls.

Collaborate with Team Members Using Google Drive

Google Drive is one of the simplest ways to share and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in real time. You can see co-workers’ changes, add comments, and ensure your team has the most current draft without worrying about emailing new versions back and forth. You can also store photos, documents, videos, and recordings in your Drive so you can access them from any computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Chat with Co-workers at Any Time with HipChat

One of the biggest potential problems with working remotely is the lack of immediate face time with co-workers. When you’re working from home, you can’t walk over to a co-worker’s desk to ask a question. Luckily, services like HipChat make it easy for you and your co-workers to chat, send files and share screens. When an entire company is on HipChat, it’s as if everyone is working in the same building.

Make Scheduling Meetings Easier with Every Time Zone

It’s noon in California, but what time is it in Arkansas or Colorado? Scheduling meetings with people in multiple time zones can get complicated. By using a time zone converter, such as Every Time Zone, you instantly know what time it is around the world. You’ll save precious minutes each time you schedule a meeting and avoid the “I thought you meant noon my time” confusion.

Find a New Favorite Spot to Work with Workfrom

One of the great parts about working remotely is that you can choose where you work. While some people prefer the comfort of their home, others enjoy the creative boost that comes with new surroundings. If you like to change up your workspace, Workfrom is an essential tool that helps you discover cafes, shared working spaces, and other work-friendly locations near you.

Virtually Manage Projects with Trello

Project management is one of the keys to remote work success. You need to be able to see your team’s progress on different projects. Trello is a simple project management system that allows you to create project boards and lists to chart your progress, from the initial ideas stage to the completed virtual high-five. You can also add people to different lists and stages to streamline collaboration. Trello gives you an easy way to create goals, delegate tasks, and let your boss see what you’re working on and accomplishing.

Hold a Video Conference with Skype

Video conferences, as opposed to emails or chat rooms, make it easy for remote workers to connect with their bosses and team members face to face. Whether you hold video calls daily or monthly, Skype is an excellent option. It’s simple to use, well recognized, and reliable. Download the app on your computer, tablet, and smartphone so you can hold a call at any time.

Share Your Screen Using join.me

Sometimes the only way to troubleshoot or explain a solution is to share your screen. With join.me, you can hold webinars, invite up to 250 participants, and record your meetings. Additionally, join.me allows you to personalize your conferences and send invitations for collaboration, which helps establish a professional and efficient workflow.

Send Large Files with Dropbox

Every team needs a repository where they can share project files too large to send via email. Dropbox is a popular Cloud storage service that is intuitive, secure, and easy to use. Use Dropbox to back up important files, work on presentations with other teammates, and access your documents from any device.

By using online productivity tools and technology, you can successfully and efficiently work with your team members from any location. Get started by trying some of these tools to see which ones help you and your team!

10 Social Media Resources To Advance Your Career

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Knowing which social media resources to use and how to get the most from them can help during job hunting as well as for taking your career to the next level within your current organization. It’s not just about finding jobs using LinkedIn or Twitter, it’s more about getting the most out of learning opportunities, building your authority, enhancing your workplace productivity, external networking and last but not least job hunting.

Here are 10 star social media resources that can help you tackle all the activities mentioned above. Whether you’re actively looking for a job or not, establishing yourself as a thought-leader is important for all steps in your career ladder.

Learning Opportunities

  1. Ted Talks provides videos on informative and thought provoking talks from TED Conferences. The portal also has a section to engage in related ideas, questions and debates.

Key Benefit – Ted Talks are 18 minutes or shorter. All you need is a lunch break to keep growing your knowledge base.

  1. Slideshare’s your library of presentations, pdf’s, videos and webinars. It’s a crowdsourced solution for educating yourself with a diverse educational and professional community contributing material and sharing comments.

Key Benefit – Students, CEO’s and professional speakers all contribute content to Slideshare, providing information from all levels of the professional and educational worlds.

Building Your Authority

  1. Quora is a community of 1.5 million professionals answering business questions. Quora answers often get syndicated in major publications such as Forbes which helps build the author’s credibility.

Key Benefit – Quora answers typically get more exposure than a blog for personal branding.

  1. WordPress is a simple blogging solution with free templates and a community of bloggers to share content with. Suitable for professionals and newbies, WordPress lets you blog like a pro.

Key Benefit – Blogging helps you get clarity on your ideas by polishing them up.

Workplace Productivity

  1. Evernote can be considered as “Note taking on steroids”. You can sync between devices, add images and audio content, clip web pages – all of which lets team members share research and notes.

Key Benefit – Your ideas, research and notes will all be in one place rather than scattered across devices and applications.

  1. Asana’s aimed at those who are looking for an alternate to email for collaboration. It provides a way to manage tasks, get updates on progress and organize ideas, plans and deadlines all without email.

Key Benefit – By fully implementing Asana you can automatically segregate your business and personal life…digitally at least.

External Networking

  1. Twitter is a popular tool because it’s 140 character microblogging platform creates a low barrier for maintance. It has become a popular place to connect with influencers across all industries.

Key Benefit – You can have one-on-one conversations with recruiters even before you score the interview.

  1. LinkedIn Groups are like conference rooms where professionals of a certain industry or interest get together and talk. It’s a way to post updates, share news or add you own post links.

Key Benefit – A great way to advance your career is to be considered a thought leader in your field by becoming a well-known contributor to LinkedIn Groups.

Job Hunting

  1. DoYouBuzz starts job hunting on the right foot by helping you create a snazzy resume. It provides templates for creating CVs, storing them online, exporting .pdf versions and even provides statistics for premium users.

Key Benefit – Recruiters are overloaded with CV’s thus having a unique resume increases your chances of capturing their attention.

  1. BeKnown combines Monster job search with the ability to connect to professionals at their listed companies. It integrates with Facebook and keeps your business and professional connections separate.

Key Benefit – Sometimes all you need is a foot in the door to advance your career in a new organization…that’s exactly what BeKnown does.

What about you? What social media platforms do you think have been the most valuable in advancing your career? Please share your experiences in the comments below.

(About the Author: Paul Keijzer is the CEO and Managing Partner of Engage Consulting in Malaysia, Pakistan and U.A.E. He focuses on transforming top teams and managing talent across Asia’s emerging and frontier markets. Paul has a firm belief that outstanding results can only be achieved through people, by engaging teams and building commitment by creating a new paradigm between company and employee. Paul has delivered transformational interventions for more than 50 blue chip organizations in countries across Asia including Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Fiji, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Egypt, Korea, U.A.E. and India.)

To discuss World of Work topics like this with the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events each Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at events, or join our ongoing Twitter and G+ conversation anytime. Learn more…

TalentCulture World of Work was created for HR professionals, leadership executives, and the global workforce. Our community delves into subjects like HR technology, leadership, employee engagement, and corporate culture everyday. To get more World of Work goodness, please sign up for our newsletter, listen to our #TChat Radio Channel or sign up for our RSS feed.

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How to Build Your Network Without Burning Out

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(Editor’s Note: All of us in the TalentCulture community mourn the loss of our dear friend, brilliant colleague and mindful mentor, Judy Martin, who passed away unexpectedly on January 31, 2014. The following is the last post she contributed to our blog, only 10 days earlier. Her message and her life are a lesson for us all.)

The unthinkable happened during the first week in January.

TalentCulture CEO Meghan M. Biro had gone missing. She hadn’t returned a tweet from me for more than three days. Unheard of, I tell you.

Naturally, I was concerned about her well-being. I actually considered contacting Boston area hospitals. But instead, I did what any good friend would do. Resorting to an antiquated strategy, I picked up the phone and called her.

“Seriously Judy, I’m taking a break. I don’t want to burn out,” Meghan told me.

“What? A break from your BFF?” I almost blurted. Then, a calm washed over me, and instead I said, “Good for you.”

This sparked a conversation about how busy professionals like us can continue growing and navigating our social networks without compromising our stress levels. Connection and communication have taken on new importance in today’s 24/7 world of work. Those who manage the energy and minimize the stress are able to stay ahead of the competition, and sustain high performance. But it’s not easy.

Everyone manages a social network differently. It’s an intimate and personal process. We all have close connections with whom we can exchange ideas and openly vent. That’s typically not a burden on our time and attention. But in this era of digital exuberance, our social circles are growing rapidly. We need to find the signal in our niche, while filtering out the noise of a much broader network. Keeping pace requires a strategy:

8 Tips to Reduce Stress In The Face of Digital Exuberance

1) Schedule Social Sessions: Timing is everything. And quality time counts. When does your network naturally buzz with activity? If you’re a rock star, you might be inclined to check Twitter in the late evening, but if you’re into talent management and business news like me, you’re probably trolling Twitter from 7-8 a.m. Instead of trying to pay attention 24/7, pick one or two intervals each a day to dip into the stream. Don’t just “fly by” with retweets — really dive in and engage in conversations that build relationships. But when your scheduled time is up, move on. Eventually, you’ll adjust to an established rhythm, and so will those in your inner circles.

2) Take Breathing Breaks: Twitter and Facebook interactions can become surprisingly intense. Periodically, take 5 minutes to literally sit back and just follow your breath. Close your eyes, or look away from the screen. Simply being aware of how you are breathing helps regulate cortisol, the “stress-producing” hormone. Count as you inhale – one, two, three. Then hold your breath for several seconds, and exhale to the count of three. Better managing stress “in the moment” gives you more energy later, when you may need to tap into your reserves.

3) Stand Up and Stretch: Once in a while just walk away. Yes, leave the computer behind. This is important to get blood circulating in your body, which delivers more oxygen to your brain. If you prefer not to stand, push your chair away from the desk. Inhale and raise your arms above your head, clasping your hands in a “steeple” position. Look up and gaze at your hands for several moments. Then exhale slowly while your hands float gradually back down to your sides. You’ll feel refreshed and ready to shift back into business gear.

4) Hum with Purpose: That’s right — make noise. Humming actually calms the mind and body. It’s an ancient yogic technique that helps focus attention prior to meditation. The sound reverberates in your skull, and helps your brain rewire your attention. Here’s how: Plug your ears with your fingers and inhale deeply. Pause. Then as you exhale, hum for the reminder of the “out breath.” Repeat two more times. If you feel dizzy, stop. But ideally, it will help release tension and help you focus.

5) Let Filtering Tools Work for You: Sometimes we need to look beyond human behavior for help. If we opened every link that came our way we’d never sleep. Aggregation tools help consolidate and organize the chaos — news sources, blog posts, and other information sources of interest. I’ve set up Google alerts to deliver breaking news on keywords that matter most to me. For less critical topics, I receive news feeds once a week. You can use Hootsuite, Buffer Tweetdeck and Aggregation tools and dashboards to identify relevant content and create a delivery schedule that works for you.

6) Harness Hashtags: Hashtags are the fastest way to share and find relevant information on Twitter. For example, professionals who participate in the TalentCulture community share HR and business leadership knowledge by adding the #TChat hashtag to their tweets. At any moment, anyone can search for #TChat, to see the community’s latest tweets. It’s like round-the-clock access to the most popular human resources conversation on the planet. If you follow a hashtag like #TChat in your Twitter dashboard, you’ll quickly and easily find helpful peers, ideas and advice. Also, when you schedule Twitter posts, be sure to add hashtags that reflect your area of expertise. Your posts will reach people in your niche, even when you’re offline.

7) Leverage Human Relationships: Sometimes, all of us need to unplug for several days or more. When you do, plan ahead. Just because you’ll be off the grid doesn’t mean your networking must come to a standstill. Reach out to several people in your immediate network. Let them know that you’re taking a break, and ask for a little extra support in sharing your work on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn — wherever you’re most active. You can even form ongoing support alliances and develop common “social back-up” guidelines. Just remember, you’re not alone.

8) Create a FOMO Free Zone: Perhaps the most important advice I can offer is to honor your social self. Competitive pressure shouldn’t drive your social brand development. Don’t let yourself become obsessed with how other people behave on social channels, or about whether volume or frequency of their activity trumps your own efforts. Whatever your message is, you’ll succeed when you deliver it through your own lens, with your own voice, to an audience that is naturally interested in you. Forget #FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)!

Of course, even with healthy habits, it often feels like we’re networking at the speed of light. But hopefully these tips help you slow the pace a bit, focus on what matters, and generate more energy to fuel your social success.

Do you have tips for reducing stress and improving productivity in the age of social networking? What techniques and tools work for you? Share your ideas in the comments below.

(Editor’s Note: To discuss World of Work topics like this with the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events each Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at events, or join our ongoing Twitter conversation anytime. Learn more…)

Image Credit: Pixabay

Telecommuting Tools: What's Your Plan?

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Virtual teams are truly gaining ground in today’s workplace, thanks to the convergence of three factors:

1) More employers recognize the value of flexible work models,
2) Workers are open to remote options, and
3) New cloud-based technologies make it easy to connect, communicate and collaborate.

Many employers now allow members of their workforce to operate entirely from home — while other companies support more limited forms of telecommuting.

Telework = Serious Savings

There are compelling business reasons why organizations and individuals should evaluate this trend. According to research compiled by Global Workplace Analytics, 50 million U.S. employees have jobs that are compatible with telecommuting, and are willing to pursue it at some level. It’s estimated that, each year, if all those who are able and willing worked from home even half of the time, a typical employer would save $11,000 per person, while the typical telecommuter would save $2,000-$7,000.

But regardless of how much money telecommuting can save, one thing is certain — it’s essential to invest in viable technology to ensure that remote workers can succeed in their role.

110727_GIST_The_Mobile_Worker4

See the infographic and more details at Mashable

3 Keys to a Telework Technology Plan

Before assuming which tools are ideal, it’s wise to look for helpful insights from workstyle studies. For example, a 2011 study by GIST profiles remote work behavior across multiple dimensions — identifying locations remote workers prefer, and revealing how they accomplish tasks on the go.

Of course, every business is unique, but when you develop a detailed technology plan for virtual workers, it’s essential to consider three key elements: communication, collaboration and connections. Here are some ideas to kick-start your process:

Communication: There are many technologies remote workers can use to stay in touch with team members, managers, customers, and others. Email probably remains the most common communication channel, but text messaging, chat, and instant messaging are also useful when people need to discuss projects, status and other issues in real-time. The good news is that many of those tools work in tandem or on top of popular workplace communications applications.

Skype and similar audio and video conferencing tools are highly affordable, reliable and are easy to deploy and support. They’re ideal for everything from small group meetings and business presentations, to more formal conference-like events. Google+ Communities and Hangouts are also gaining popularity as simple, freely available tools to help groups connect and discuss topics and projects via audio and video, with file sharing and social tools that enhance and extend those discussions.

Collaboration: Remote workers need tools that help them work together with others to generate ideas, solve problems and manage group projects. Google Docs is a great way to co-create content and share information among team members on an ongoing basis. Also, Dropbox and other cloud storage services are popular for exchanging, organizing and archiving content (especially larger files), and for easily accessing content while on the go.

Connections: With today’s vast array of freely available social media and cloud software solutions, keeping your workforce securely and reliably connected is becoming remarkably easy to do. Intranets provide dedicated virtual spaces that help distributed teams work together asynchronously, using embedded social tools to interact. And integrated suites of cloud-based tools like Google Apps for Business help workers easily create, share and manage all kinds of business documents and communications. To learn more about Google Apps for Business, watch this video overview:

Staying Ahead of the Curve

Whether you tap into new web-based tools, or you extend applications that your company already uses in-house, a technology plan is one way to be sure that all your remote contributors stay focused and productive, no matter where or when they’re working. The pace of cloud software innovation is so rapid, your biggest challenge may be staying ahead of new technology developments. However, your efforts should pay off, with telecommuters that are highly efficient and engaged in their jobs.

Your Turn

Does your company encourage telework arrangements? What tech-related issues do your remote teams face? What tools do you recommend to others?

(Editor’s Note: To discuss World of Work topics like this with the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events each Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at weekly events, or join our ongoing Twitter conversation anytime. Learn more…)

Image Credit: Pixabay

Telecommuting Tools: What’s Your Plan?

/6 Comments/ /by

Virtual teams are truly gaining ground in today’s workplace, thanks to the convergence of three factors:

1) More employers recognize the value of flexible work models,
2) Workers are open to remote options, and
3) New cloud-based technologies make it easy to connect, communicate and collaborate.

Many employers now allow members of their workforce to operate entirely from home — while other companies support more limited forms of telecommuting.

Telework = Serious Savings

There are compelling business reasons why organizations and individuals should evaluate this trend. According to research compiled by Global Workplace Analytics, 50 million U.S. employees have jobs that are compatible with telecommuting, and are willing to pursue it at some level. It’s estimated that, each year, if all those who are able and willing worked from home even half of the time, a typical employer would save $11,000 per person, while the typical telecommuter would save $2,000-$7,000.

But regardless of how much money telecommuting can save, one thing is certain — it’s essential to invest in viable technology to ensure that remote workers can succeed in their role.

110727_GIST_The_Mobile_Worker4

See the infographic and more details at Mashable

3 Keys to a Telework Technology Plan

Before assuming which tools are ideal, it’s wise to look for helpful insights from workstyle studies. For example, a 2011 study by GIST profiles remote work behavior across multiple dimensions — identifying locations remote workers prefer, and revealing how they accomplish tasks on the go.

Of course, every business is unique, but when you develop a detailed technology plan for virtual workers, it’s essential to consider three key elements: communication, collaboration and connections. Here are some ideas to kick-start your process:

Communication: There are many technologies remote workers can use to stay in touch with team members, managers, customers, and others. Email probably remains the most common communication channel, but text messaging, chat, and instant messaging are also useful when people need to discuss projects, status and other issues in real-time. The good news is that many of those tools work in tandem or on top of popular workplace communications applications.

Skype and similar audio and video conferencing tools are highly affordable, reliable and are easy to deploy and support. They’re ideal for everything from small group meetings and business presentations, to more formal conference-like events. Google+ Communities and Hangouts are also gaining popularity as simple, freely available tools to help groups connect and discuss topics and projects via audio and video, with file sharing and social tools that enhance and extend those discussions.

Collaboration: Remote workers need tools that help them work together with others to generate ideas, solve problems and manage group projects. Google Docs is a great way to co-create content and share information among team members on an ongoing basis. Also, Dropbox and other cloud storage services are popular for exchanging, organizing and archiving content (especially larger files), and for easily accessing content while on the go.

Connections: With today’s vast array of freely available social media and cloud software solutions, keeping your workforce securely and reliably connected is becoming remarkably easy to do. Intranets provide dedicated virtual spaces that help distributed teams work together asynchronously, using embedded social tools to interact. And integrated suites of cloud-based tools like Google Apps for Business help workers easily create, share and manage all kinds of business documents and communications. To learn more about Google Apps for Business, watch this video overview:

Staying Ahead of the Curve

Whether you tap into new web-based tools, or you extend applications that your company already uses in-house, a technology plan is one way to be sure that all your remote contributors stay focused and productive, no matter where or when they’re working. The pace of cloud software innovation is so rapid, your biggest challenge may be staying ahead of new technology developments. However, your efforts should pay off, with telecommuters that are highly efficient and engaged in their jobs.

Your Turn

Does your company encourage telework arrangements? What tech-related issues do your remote teams face? What tools do you recommend to others?

(Editor’s Note: To discuss World of Work topics like this with the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events each Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at weekly events, or join our ongoing Twitter conversation anytime. Learn more…)

Image Credit: Pixabay

Telecommuting: 5 Ways Companies Benefit

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Last year, when Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer banned telecommuting for her employees, the decision stirred a vigorous debate about whether it’s valid for any business to let employees work from home.

As I see it, any organization can boost the personal and professional productivity of its workforce through telecommuting. And the more widely it is embraced, the better for the company.

Therefore, it’s a smart move to integrate technologies that make the work-from-home process smoother and more seamless.

Telecommuting Success: It’s More Than Technology

However, simply putting new technology into place and allowing your workforce to telecommute won’t make your business productive. Successful virtual work initiatives still require effective management. Leaders need to engage team members (as if they were physically at the office) and make sure they are kept in the loop, so they remain psychologically and socially connected, even when they don’t share a physical office space.

5 Key Business Benefits

But that said, when virtual work options are implemented appropriately, the advantages are abundant. For example, here are five major ways companies can benefit:

1) Morale: Happier employees get more done. In many cities, employees deal with a grinding commute, only to sit in an office where they interact very little with their coworkers. Whether the telecommuting arrangement is permanent or just a weekly flex day, the reduced travel and stress can provide a tremendous boost in employee morale.

2) Talent Acquisition: This can be a significant advantage in both large and small markets, because the best talent isn’t always within driving distance. This is certainly affected by the scope of the position, but businesses that don’t require day-to-day physical access to a shared office can benefit by finding the best candidates, regardless of physical location. Telecommuting lets companies choose from a much larger talent pool when it’s time to recruit for open positions.

3) Productivity: If you have ever worked remotely you probably know that you can accomplish much more when the conditions are right. At many offices, constant distractions mean less work gets done than the company desires. While face-to-face camaraderie may help employees build relationships, beyond small talk, there isn’t much that can be accomplished sitting in a meeting room that can’t be accomplished from a distance, using collaboration tools.

4) Flexibility: Trying to bring teams together in the same space and time isn’t necessarily easier because everyone travels to a central office. The technology that companies adopt to enable telecommuting allows teams to collaborate in real time from anywhere members are located. Participants can access teleconferencing, web conferencing and telepresence from almost anywhere. So when people can’t be in the same physical place, the meeting will still go on.

5) Adoption: I have said this for as long as I can remember: ”Eat your own dog food!” Any business that considers itself a high-tech organization should adopt tools, structures and processes required for successful telecommuting. What’s more, these capabilities should be  promoted as a way the workforce can achieve maximum productivity and work-life balance. Using this technology day in and day out can truly bring the organization closer. And the value of that connection can be priceless, as it translates to better selling, delivery and support of the solutions your customers need.

What other ways can organizations benefit from telecommuting? Does your company allow telecommuting? If not, why? Share your opinions and ideas in the comments below.

(Editor’s Note: This post was adapted with permission from an article written for and published in Commercial Integrator Magazine and republished by Millennial CEO.)

(Also Note: To discuss World of Work topics like this with the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events each Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at events, or join our ongoing Twitter conversation anytime. Learn more…)

Image Credit: Stock.xchng

Why Recruiters Should Bet on Technology

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Hiring the best talent for your company’s open positions should never feel like a gamble. Yet all too often, recruiters feel like they’re just rolling the dice, hoping to discover the ideal candidate.

Fortunately, the hiring process no longer has to feel like a game of chance, thanks to a wealth of smart new technologies, from social media sourcing to video interviewing. It’s always a good move to leverage innovative tools that can help make recruitment faster and easier.

The infographic below (compiled by Spark Hire, an online video resume and interviewing platform), shows that more employers are taking their chances with HR technology. It also suggests some compelling reasons why. For example:

•  94% of recruiters plan to use social media in their recruitment efforts
•  More than 6 in 10 employers now use video interviews in their hiring process
•  Big data is expected to generate 4.4 million jobs by 2015
•  Companies will spend more than $2 billion on gamification services by 2015
•  70% of active job seekers are using mobile devices to look for jobs

New HR technology can help remove the guesswork from the hunt for top talent. Mobile recruiting can make it easier for candidates to apply, while video interviews can help you see beyond a candidate’s online poker face. If you roll the dice and apply winning technology across the recruiting process, the odds are likely to give you an advantage in today’s talent acquisition game.

Does your organization compare with others in applying new technology to HR? Check out infographic below, and share your opinions in the comments area!

What do you think? What new hiring technology has helped your company the most?

Where Do You Find Ideas and Insight? #TChat Preview

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(Editor’s Note: Looking for the #TChat Recap from this week? See this post: Lessons From a Free-Rand Learning Community.)

Our Best Source of Wisdom: You!

One of the most powerful benefits of professional communities like TalentCulture is the ability to tap into individual minds in real time, for the benefit of all. That’s a primary reason why I’m drawn to community management. It’s exhilarating and very rewarding to be part of a collaborative learning process. And this week at our #TChat Twitter forum, we’re taking that concept in a special direction.

Instead of asking guest experts to discuss their insights with us on #TChat Radio and Twitter, we’re asking YOU to share YOUR wisdom. Specifically, we want to know what sources of professional information and ideas are most beneficial to you…and why. (See our 6 key questions below.)

The guest moderator this week is our very own LinkedIn Group Manager, Dr. Nancy Rubin, Director of Online Learning/Social Media Technologies at Columbia University School of Continuing Education.

Let me kick-off the conversation with an example from my life. Earlier this year, I read a book that deeply resonated with me, as someone who’s life revolves around connections. The book is “Your Network Is Your Net Worth,” by Porter Gale. To understand more about why I recommend it, read a post from my blog, or watch my #TChat “sneak peek” video below…

Your Opinions Matter!

Every answer you share with us will help kick-start a new “Resources” section for TalentCulture.com. And, of course, your feedback about #TChat topics will help us shape the community throughout the coming year.

So don’t be shy — we welcome your ideas this week, and every week!

#TChat Twitter: What Informs And Inspires You — And Why?

A Very Special Conversation: Wed, July 24 at 7pmET / 4pmPT

Join us on the #TChat stream, as we gather your ideas and recommendations, based on these 6 questions:

Q1:  What 1-2 “must read” books would you recommend to a business peer? Why?
Q2:  What 1-2 blogs are most indispensable to you, professionally? Why?
Q3:  What 1-2 socially active thought leaders are most influential in your life? Why?
Q4:  What are your 1-2 “go-to” tools for managing social connections or information? Why?
Q5:  What prior #TChat topics have helped you most? Why?
BONUS:  What topics would you like #TChat to explore in the future?

Throughout the week, we’ll keep the discussion going on the #TChat Twitter feed and on our new LinkedIn Discussion Group. So please join us share your recommendations — before, during and after the Wednesday event.

We’ll see you on the stream!

(Also This Week: Catch TalentCulture CEO, Meghan Biro at a special “Recruiting Insights” webinar with Achievers on Thursday July 25. Learn more…)

HR Data: What Really Counts? #TChat Recap

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“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” -William Cameron

A Big Year For Big Data

No sooner did the ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Day, than corporate talent management analyst Josh Bersin declared 2013 “The Year of BigData in HR.” Soon after, he offered more expansive predictions, including the assurance that we would see “many HR analytics, BigData and workforce planning tools” emerge this year.

Why now? As Bersin explains in “Data, Big Data and You,” multiple factors are at work — creating abundant opportunity that hasn’t yet been deeply tapped by HR organizations. To put the situation into perspective, consider this:

A 2011 Economist study indicates that companies boost productivity by 5-6% when they rely on data to guide business decisions. And yet, recent Bersin research reveals that only 6% of HR leaders say their organizations are “excellent” at leveraging employee data to drive business performance.

Case In Point: Hire-By-Numbers

In March at a #TChat Radio interview, Josh illustrated what’s at stake by telling a staffing story from a financial services company. The organization had been hiring sales representatives based on intuitive assumptions about what it takes to achieve in sales. Why was that a problem? Analysis revealed that those assumptions were wrong. By using data to redefine screening and recruitment criteria, the company saw sales surge by $4 million within only one year.

If Data Talks, Who Will Listen?

So, we know business is producing oodles of data at an exponential rate. And tools are arriving to help HR organizations crunch the numbers in beneficial ways. But something is still missing from this equation. It’s the vital link that connects the dots between quantitative possibilities and business realities. It’s the mission-critical role of the Data Analyst. Or, as USA Today recently suggested, “The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century.”

Even though data analysts are in short supply, the TalentCulture Community was lucky enough to glean insight and advice from two smart, articulate analytical professionals this week. Helping us explore key issues surrounding HR metrics, insights and business performance were:

Below, we’ve captured event highlights (including a tweet-by-tweet Storify slideshow from Twitter) and other resource links. We hope this is helpful for anyone is interested in understanding analytics as a core aspect of “human” side of business. Enjoy!

#TChat Week in Review: The Big Deal with HR Data

SAT 6/22

Christene

Watch the G+ Hangout with Christene now

#TChat Preview: Our Community Manager, Tim McDonald, introduced the week’s topic and talked with Christene about the definition of “BigData” and its relationship to HR management. Read “HR Data: What’s The Big Deal?”

SUN 6/23

Forbes.com Post: In her weekly Forbes column, TalentCulture CEO, Meghan M. Biro, offered advice about how data can help HR professionals see the workforce “in 3D.” Read “Big Data Is A Big Deal.”

WED 6/26

TChatRadio_logo_020813

Listen to the #TChat Radio show

#TChat Radio: In its new time slot, just prior to #TChat Twitter, radio hosts Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman drilled down on data-related HR issues, in a fascinating 30-minute interview with Christene and Andrew. If you missed the session, listen now to the recording.

#TChat Twitter: Fueled by the radio warm-up, our community came together on the Twitter stream for our dynamic weekly idea exchange. Great perspectives from people from all corners of the professional realm! Thanks to everyone who contributed to this crowd-sourced idea stream! If you missed the real-time Twitter action, or want to review highlights, watch the slideshow below:

#TChat Twitter Highlights: “HR Data: What’s The Big Deal?”

[javascript src=”//storify.com/TalentCulture/tchat-insights-hr-data-what-s-the-big-deal.js?template=slideshow”]

Closing Notes & What’s Ahead

GRATITUDE: Thanks again to Christene and Andrew for helping our community gain deeper understanding of how HR data naturally plays an integral role in the world of work. Your passion and real-world perspectives help us appreciate the importance and value of HR analytics.

NOTE TO BLOGGERS: Did this week’s events prompt you to write about HR data issues or opportunities? We’d love to share your thoughts. Post a link on Twitter (include #TChat or @TalentCulture), or insert a comment below, and we’ll pass it along.

WHAT’S AHEAD: Next week #TChat events are on pause to celebrate July 4th. Happy U.S. Independence Day! But we’ll be back the following week, with a sizzling summer topic — so keep an eye on TalentCulture social channels for details.

In the meantime, even through our haitus, the World of Work conversation continues each day. So join us on the #TChat Twitter stream, or on our new LinkedIn discussion group. And feel free to explore other areas of our redesigned website. The gears are always turning at TalentCulture, and your ideas and opinions are always welcome.

See you on the stream!

Image Credit: Pixabay

Informed Managers Drive Employee Success

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Engagement + Performance = Employee Success.

And the best way to maximize employee engagement and performance is by empowering managers to lead their teams with intelligence.

To create success, managers require smart, appropriate tools. In a recent report — Empowering Managers to Drive Employee Success — information technology analysts at Aberdeen Group took a close look at the manager’s role in employee engagement. In that report, Aberdeen found that the best way to optimize talent and improve business results is to deliver solutions that help managers understand activity within their team and highlight areas to manage.

However, most talent management solutions are fragmented, offering very little useful data or insight. Aberdeen’s report points to three important tools that empower managers — analytics, integration and transparency.

1) Analytics

With current technology, executives can keep tabs on major company data points on a nearly constant basis. This information helps inform decisions on specific programs and larger corporate direction. With access to appropriate analytics, managers can make informed decisions based on relevant individual and team performance indicators.

2) Integration

When various human resource information systems (HRIS) don’t talk with one another, there is a much greater risk of redundant work as well as errors from entering the same information into separate programs. Integration streamlines that effort and ensures that managers get the most out of all of HRIS programs, connecting talent and workforce management.

3) Transparency

Transparency makes it much easier for managers to align with corporate goals, and better monitor team activity. When everyone is “on the same page,” and relying on clear indicators of progress, managers are empowered to move the business forward. Applying this visibility across all corporate initiatives addresses talent and business challenges like the need to manage corporate-wide employee referral programs, increase workforce loyalty, and facilitate knowledge transfer between groups.

Business Success may start with Employee Success, but Employee Success starts with empowered managers. Learn how to give your managers the right tools to drive success. Download a copy of the full Aberdeen Group report now.

What dashboard data does your company provide to managers? Let me know in the comments below…

(Editor’s Note: To discuss World of Work topics like this with others in the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events every Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome. Learn more…)

Image Credit: Stock.xchng

(Legal Note: Employee Success is a trademark of Achievers Corp.)

Getting Social with Social Technology: #TChat Radio

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Join us for the #TChat Radio show tonight at 7 pm ET (4 pm PT) where our special guest is John Sumser, the principal analyst for HRxAnalysts and founder and managing editor of The HRExaminer Online Magazine.

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We’re not really as social as we think. According to a new social media research report from Ventana Research, most organizations (59%) still actively prohibit social media usage. Also, HRxAnalysts recently published the 2012 Index of Social Technology in HR and Recruiting and the research report documents the ongoing shift in how organizations acquire and manage technology. Surprisingly, social media is slow to take hold — the major social media companies are nearly a decade old and still HR and recruiting penetration is less than 20%.

And yet, even with the mixed bag of all things social in our greater work/life worlds, there is always community.

What exactly does that mean? Community means different things depending on who you speak with or what you read. For example, talent community has received many mixed reviews of late–with some saying it’s just a fluffy buzzword created by vendors wanting to sell online applicant sourcing software, internal mobility software and people management software. Talent is apparently the bad word, so let’s throw it out.

Then there are those social community critics who say that when it comes to mixed online communities like those found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, no one can really be “friends” with hundreds and thousands of people. I agree, but who said anything about being friends?

Sure there’s Dunbar’s number, the theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships, which happens to be on the average 150 people. But we’ve been living in communities for thousands of years, and we sure as heck haven’t all been friends all the time — cue scenes violence and war and the like.

I’ve got my own limited number of stable relationships (friends and family) as well as greater “friendly” connections via my own local community and my online communities. Face time is important for the smaller concentric rings of true friends and family, but face time isn’t a reality for most people with whom I will never have a chance to meet in person (although I can see you via video technologies these days, giving face time a whole new dimension).

I’m a big open experiment of work and play because I know at any given time someone out there can help me with something and I can help them with something, whatever that means. That’s what community is all about, right? Don’t limit it to sourcing applicants and and slapping “talent” on it. Keep it open to all things work and life and to moving the ever-evolving (hopefully) positive human agenda forward with endless possibilities.

We’re all part of interconnected communities — inter-coms — and it’s these inter-coms that keep us connected and real in work and in play. Social technologies finally give us the ebb and flow reality for communities that otherwise would never know the others existed.

So, we’re actually more social than we think. Right on.

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Join us for the #TChat Radio show tonight at 7 pm ET (4 pm PT) where our special guest is John Sumser, the principal analyst for HRxAnalysts and founder and managing editor of The HRExaminer Online Magazine. For those of you who don’t know John, he’s an icon in the HR/recruiting space and his work explores the people, technology, ideas and trends that drive the evolution of the HR and Recruiting functions. HRxAnalysts recently published the 2012 Index of Social Technology in HR and Recruiting, an exhaustive study of the trends and directions of next generation technology, much of which we’re going to discuss with John today.

We’ll also be running the parallel online #TChat with the following questions:

  • Q1: Why do companies still prohibit social media in the workplace today?
  • Q2: What are the primary social technologies used at companies today and why?’
  • Q3: What exactly is social recruiting and has it been truly successful for organizations? Why or why not?
  • Q4: We talk so much about external-facing social recruiting, but what’s going on inside with HR, recruiting and internal mobility?
  • Q5: What’s the difference between resume databases, talent pools and talent communities as in social recruiting and #HRtech?
  • Q6: @JohnSumser states that there’s not much social about social tech. Do you agree or disagree and why?

The #TChat Twitter chat and the #TChat Radio Show are created by @MeghanMBiro and @KevinWGrossman; hosted by them and @MarenHogan; powered by @SocialMediaSean and @CatyKobe; and our partners include @HRmarketer, @talentmgmttech, @Focus, #HRTechChat and #TNL.

If you’re not familiar with our weekly Twitter #TChat (TalentCulture Chat) or TalentCulture blogging community, we are a collective of business leaders, social media advocates, workplace culture and career professionals, and we discuss the World of Work. It’s about re-imagining how we, as leaders, acquire, empower and retain our workforce today, with emotional connectivity and global cultural inclusivity — the intersection of Talent + Culture.

Communities Go Mobile With Real World Exploration Apps

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Thanks to a new set of location-based mobile applications that have cropped up over the past year, our social interactions online are beginning to impact our real world lives in very real ways. Here’s how they work now:

  1. Users open a location-based mobile application like Whrrl, Foursquare or SCVNGR and find recommendations from other users for how to experience different places near them.
  2. Within the applications, users bookmark recommendations that they want to do.
  3. Users then use their virtual to-do lists to explore the world around them.

Here’s a use case: I’m waiting in line at the ticket booth of the San Diego Zoo. To kill time, I open my Whrrl application. I view a few recommendations from other users who have been to the zoo. One recommendation from a friend of mine says, “Get to the back of the zoo right when it opens. You’ll get to see the lions eating their breakfast.”

I think to myself, “I don’t want to miss that!” and I dog-ear that recommendation. Forty minutes later, I’m watching the lions chow down with a few other spectators who were wise enough to download Whrrl. The rest of the park is waiting for the sloth exhibit in the front of the zoo to open. I click the “I did this” button on Whrrl and my friend who made the recommendation about the lions receives a reward within Whrrl.

That reality is evolving quickly, and with it, affiliate marketing is about to change forever.

Recently, Foursquare released its “Add to Foursquare” button, which allows anyone to tag places (and eventually recommendations) into the Foursquare network from anywhere on the web. Here’s where the fun begins. Remember that old  pay-per-click model affiliate marketers used to base their income on? It’s about to be taken to the real world. Here’s how these location-based exploration apps are going to work after a couple of more years of innovation:

  1. An affiliate marketer or influencer will be given designated links to specific recommendations and will plant those links using technology like the Foursquare button.
  2. Users will add those recommendations to their virtual to-do lists, and the marketer or influencer who planted the recommendation will be compensated for the real world “click.”
  3. If a user acts on the recommendation on his/her to-do list, the marketer will be paid even more.

When this world becomes a reality, my friend who made that recommendation at the San Diego Zoo will be compensated with a real world reward (monetary or otherwise). That new incentive may be enough motivation for mass adoption of mobile applications that guide real world experiences.

This is how technology will drive real world action. This is how social influence online can translate to the real world. So what does it mean for your social community? It means that with every new innovation in location-based technology, we are closer than ever to breaking down the boundaries between online and offline experiences.

Twitter chats and LinkedIn groups are on the verge of becoming experience-based, not just interest-based. Niche social networks on Ning will provide digital incentives for real world experiences. Facebook groups will be married to verticals of exploration and activity. As community managers, we no longer need to limit our thinking to what our communities can talk about on discussion boards, chats and blogs. We can now start to strategize about enriching our community members’ lives while they aren’t sitting at their desks pounding away on their laptops.

If you haven’t tried out a location-based app like Whrrl or Foursquare, I highly recommend it. Understanding the dynamics those applications use will be key to running a successful community in the very near future.