Tampa Bay Jobing Community Blogs

  (For more information, read my new book, Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times Are Tough. And visit the book's official website!  )

You know that a letter to an advice columnist is going to be good when it’s signed, “Anonymous.” Personally, I’m thinking that if you feel you must hide your identity, you pretty much already know the right answer. You just want to go the other way.

A couple of weeks ago I was reading the Ethicist’s column in the Sunday New York Times magazine and was dismayed by the question: Is it okay to discriminate against otherwise fabulously qualified applicants who clearly disagree with you politically? The questioner was hiring summer interns for a law firm that is completely politics neutral. So there wasn’t really an issue about a skills – or even affinity – fit with the firm. This person, though, is decidedly not politics neutral, and he/she just couldn’t abide the idea of working with someone who wouldn’t agree on the matter of world affairs. The assumption was that anyone with such opposing politics would be definitely unlikeable. In fact, the headline of the column actually used the word, “unlikeable.”

To Ethicist’s credit, he advised the recruiter that it wouldn’t be right to discriminate on that basis. And he advised him/her to set aside the mini-McCarthyism. But in an updated note, Ethicist informed the readers that the recruiter went ahead chose only the applicants who didn’t leave any clues about opposing political affiliation. What’s interesting here is that the recruiter could have hired Hitler, just as long as he was qualified for the job and didn’t put his political point of view on his CV – leaving some really terrific, qualified, public-minded citizens in the big heap of the unemployed, unlikeable pile.

For several years now we’ve been talking about the inadvisability of posting pix of you wearing a lampshade on your head on social media sites. And one young woman actually lost a job because she posted on her Twitter account that it was such a bummer to have to go to work on a daily basis. (Problem solved!) You’d think that these choices would be obvious – and most of them are (although I’m still trying to convince a friend of mine that “calling in drunk” is not a smart thing to say on his Facebook page. He’s finally told me, nicely, to back off, so I guess I will. He’s a big boy, I respect him, and I value his friendship.)

But little, seemingly inoccuous, things can sneak into your public profile, resume, and applications. And even though they might be perfectly innocent, and actually indicate that you’re an active participant in life, they will slam the door on opportunities for you just as assuredly as if you had put “heroin addict” on your Profile. And what’s really too bad here is that you would never know. If you’re being screened out on the basis of your resume alone, you would have no way of tracking the reasons why you were being eliminated from the short list. Many biases (like your political inclinations) aren’t legally prohibited. And even if they were, why set yourself up for unfair exclusion?

Am I suggesting that you create a politically correct resume? Maybe I am. It’s killing me to do so, because freedom of expression is important to me – especially these days. And the way our society is becoming increasingly polarized is breaking my heart. But still, right now we’re talking about improving your chances of getting hired. Or at least getting the interview. And if you can tolerate the possibility of working with people who might disagree with you on the headlines, why destroy your chances of a great job?

So here are some details that you might want to scan your public image for. That means your resume, your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, any public description of who you are that you have control over.

How you vote. Some activities are political hot-buttons that could spit you out of consideration on sight. PETA. NARAL. Planned Parenthood, any committee to elect, re-elect, or impeach anyone. Anything having to do with saving endangered but not especially attractive fish or reptiles. Anything having anything to do with polar bears. Pro or con. Sorry. I’m not saying you stop caring about the polar bear situation. I’m just saying that you might not want to go bragging about it for a while.

What you believe. Yes, it’s definitely illegal to discriminate on the basis of religion. So are you going to be there to tell the screener who is sifting through the plentiful resumes that the applicant tracking system managed to cull from the thousands? I’m thinking probably not. It’s not right. It’s not legal. But it is. So you might as well deal with it. Places of worship are wonderful, enriching and powerful community support systems. No doubt about it. And the fact that you can carve aside precious time in your life to actively care for others is a sign that you would be a credit to any company. Again…not telling you not to devote your time to these things but while you’re looking for a job, you might want to consider stripping the description of your activities of anything that would indicate your religion – or lack thereof.

What you read. If you like to read books or blogs that set other people’s hair on fire, you might want to take down your lists for a while.

If I were in your shoes right now, this is what I’d be thinking: This is bogus. I wouldn’t want to work for an organization that was so ideologically rigid as to not accept me for who I am. Well, here’s the thing: The person who is screening your resume is most likely not the person you would be working with directly. And you can’t be absolutely certain that the resume screener who stands between you and your ideal job (complete with ideal boss and wonderful company) won’t take advantage of the position of power to populate his/her company with “only the correct kinds of people.”

This isn’t to indict recruiters and HR (I love HR, as my long-time readers will tell you). It’s just that there are some people out there who take advantage of the power of their position (as we’ve already seen in the Sunday Times magazine). And neither you nor the company that needs you deserves to lose the opportunity of the two of you finding each other. So why take the risk?

Now it could be that you might also be thinking: I can’t working with or for someone who doesn’t think just like me. So if I get spat out at the early stage of the game, well, saves us both some heartache. Okay, fair enough. But, just to reiterate, remember that the resume screener isn’t likely going to be your manager. And there may be your perfect boss waiting for you, and wondering how it is that the screeners keep sending in such politically extreme weirdos.

You’ll have a chance to see how simpatico you will feel with the company and boss. Just get that interview first.

Keywords are a central feature of our business day.  We use them to search our resume databases and to parse through the profiles and resumes posted on job boards and social networking sites.  The problem, of course, is that we pesky humans have a bad habit of using different words to express the same idea.  That variability in human expression makes it difficult to know which keywords will actually identify the best candidates for each of your openings.

So, what should you do?  How can you select the right keywords when there are so many competing alternatives?  The answer, I think, is to create a keyword taxonomy—an annotated list of search terms—that is rich in the language of the top talent in the specific career fields for which you are recruiting.  Think of it as a “set of master keys in words” that can unlock the candidate databases you are probing.

Creating such a tool is not particularly difficult.  Doing so, however, is a departure from the current practice in many organizations.  It involves temporarily stepping outside the press of individual, day-to-day assignments and taking a longer term view of how keywords can best serve your recruiting strategy.  Here’s what I mean.

The rule of thumb in developing a list of keywords has usually been to rely on the information provided to us in a job description or requisition.  The problem with this approach, of course, is that those documents are typically formulated by hiring managers—one of the least articulate populations on the planet.  The terminology they provide, therefore, is necessary but insufficient to unlock the best talent in an ATS or job board database.  It is a part of the master keyword set, but not all of it.

How can you fill in the gaps?

I suggest you borrow a page from your colleagues in sales and marketing and form a focus group.  Such a group is only useful, however, if it is composed of the right participants.  You’re trying to uncover the language used by the best talent for your openings, so your focus group should be populated with the same kind of people.  And, you have a ready source of such individuals among your organization’s “A” level performers in the career fields for which you’re recruiting.  They, better than anyone else, know exactly which terms their peers will use to describe their qualifications.

Top performers are usually very busy, however, so you may have a hard time breaking them free for such an exercise.  If that’s the case in your organization, you can also build your set of master keywords by conducting a similar survey with your new hires during their orientation.  This approach is clearly more challenging to implement, however, because you will have to base your selection of the group’s participants not on their demonstrated excellence at work, but on your judgment of how they are likely to perform once they are on-the-job.

In either case, your focus group will yield the best results if its work is conducted in three steps.

·       First, build your baseline.  Ask the participants to list all of the terms they would use to describe the qualifications required for an individual to be able to perform their job effectively.  These attributes can include specific skills, occupational and/or industry knowledge, prior work experience, personality and any other factors that would bear on their ability to contribute.  If the group has a hard time knowing where to begin, ask them to review one or more of the keyword references that are currently available.  These include Google’s Keyword Tool, which will suggest keywords based on previous Google searches; Wordtracker, an online research tool; and WEDDLE’s 3 volume set, Finding Needles in a Haystack, which lists over 25,000 keywords and keyword phrases, across 5400 job and position titles in 28 industries and professions.

·       Second, restate the terms in order of their importance.  Ask the group to prioritize each of their terms according to its impact on an individual’s job performance.  While there may be some disagreement among the group about the placement of specific terms, encourage them to arrive at a consensus rank ordering of the overall list.

·       Third, group the terms into search baskets.  The best way to probe a resume or profile database is to conduct your search in concentric circles of ever greater specificity.  This approach enables you to hone in on and eventually determine a reasonable slate of the most qualified prospects in a database.  Therefore, ask the group to break their list into the following categories: absolutely critical, very important, somewhat important and nice to have.

Those four baskets of search terms should then be added to the terms you derived from the hiring manager’s job description or requisition.  If those documents enable you to do so, assign each of those terms to one of the categories used in Step 3 above.  If not, the most politic course to assign them to the absolutely critical category.  The resulting integrated list of search terms is your set of master keywords.

The above process is clearly labor and time intensive so think of it as an investment to develop an asset.  The product you create—your keyword taxonomy—is just such a resource.  It is a state-of-the-art search tool that can be used over and over again by the entire recruiting team.  No less important, that tool gives them a genuine competitive advantage because it will increase both their efficiency and their performance.  It should, therefore, be password protected and carefully monitored.  As with all assets, it will require updating from time-to-time, but the effort involved will be substantially less than of the original development.

Keywords are typically viewed as one of the basic tools in our profession.  For better or worse, everybody uses them so it’s easy to assume they have little or no differentiating value.  When forged into a powerful asset, however, keywords can help an organization unlock talent other employers can’t reach.  That’s why no recruiting team should be without “a set of master keys in words.”


Thanks for reading,
Peter

Visit me at Weddles.com

Peter Weddle is the author of over two dozen employment-related books, including Recognizing Richard Rabbit, a fable of self-discovery for working adults, and Work Strong, Your Personal Career Fitness System.

© Copyright 2009 WEDDLE’s LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

You may have seen the movie.  The Bucket List starred Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two aging men who meet in a hospital while each is dealing with the shock of learning they are terminally ill.  They decide to devote their remaining time before they “kick the bucket” to experiencing a list of dreams—some modest, some not—that they had never found the time or the opportunity to realize while they were raising families and earning a living.

The movie is a poignant treatise on friendship in unlikely places, and perhaps more importantly, a powerful lesson about how best to live our lives (and our careers).  It offers an admittedly old truism, but one worth remembering: we should never put our dreams off because we don’t know how long we will have to see them come true.

With that thought in mind, I offer my bucket list for recruiters—the things we should strive to get to while we can.  It’s an abbreviated list, so is not meant to identify everything that we might hope to accomplish in the course of our careers.  In addition, some of the goals may be beyond our reach—at least without some outside cooperation—while others are much more susceptible to our own efforts.  However, all of the goals—be they large or small—are worthy aspirations.  By reaching for them, we improve our experience as recruiters.

How should you read the list?  Simply insert the following phrase in front of each item: “At some point in my career—and the sooner, the better—I would like .to …”

1.  Work for a CEO who gets it.  We know they can say it—“Our employees are our most important asset” is the siren song of every CEO worth his or her salt in corporate America—what we seldom experience is one who does it.  Indeed, the limit of what many executives seem willing to invest in their workforce (and the recruiting team that brings it in the door) is just that—verbal capital or what you and I call “hot air.”  If they really believe they can’t get by without great talent, they will have to open their wallets in a much bigger way.  And those that do are the organizations for which we should seek to work.

2.  Work with hiring managers who get it.  Too many of today’s managers think that it’s still 1952 and there’s an unlimited supply of top talent just salivating at the chance to work for them.  They are too busy to write a decent requisition, get involved with sourcing candidates or learn how to prepare for and conduct an effective interview, but they always have enough time to wail about what they perceive to be inadequate recruiting support.  If they want to see more high caliber applicants for their openings, however, they will have to get more involved in filling them.  And those that do are the business partners to whom we should devote our best efforts.

3.  Work with coworkers who get it.  While recruiters are formally charged with acquiring talent for the organization, it is clearly in everybody’s best interest to ensure that their coworkers are as capable as possible.  Especially in these days and times, there’s no better form of security than an organization brimming with high caliber workers.  Which begs the question: why is it so difficult to get people involved in their organization’s employee referral program?  If our coworkers want to get more satisfaction and security out of their work, they will have to work harder at searching out and selling top talent.  And those who do are the employees we should celebrate and support.

4.  Work with an applicant tracking system that gets it.  Recruiters may be responsible for processing a lot of information, but that is by no means their most important accountability.  In addition to acquiring top talent, they also have a fiduciary responsibility—they must ensure that they invest their employer’s money wisely.  To do that, they need accurate data on the source of their applicants, and they rely on their ATS to get it.  Unfortunately, however, the rudimentary technology offered by many ATS vendors is simply not up to the task.  If these vendors want to help recruiters get smarter about where to spend their recruitment budget, they will have to upgrade their source identification capability.  And those that do should be the vendors from which we buy our systems.

5.  Work with applicants who get it.  Unfortunately, a lot of applicants today think that the question we want them to answer is “What have they done?”  And, of course, the insight for which we’re really looking is “What can they do?”  For us?  Right now and in the future?  The fact that they’ve been in the workforce for twenty or thirty years doesn’t mean a thing if their skills and knowledge are that old, as well.  If they want to get considered by us, therefore, they will have to bring themselves up-to-date.  And those who do are the prospects we should pursue most aggressively.

The notion of a bucket list, I suppose, can be off-putting at first.  It can seem … well, a bit pessimistic.  On the other hand, if we see it as our horizon, as the future toward which we would like to journey, then it is as hopeful an outlook as one can have.  It affirms our ability to better our condition, to reach for the richest and fullest experience we can have in the one-third of our lives that we spend at work.

Thanks for reading,
Peter
Visit my blog at Weddles.com/WorkStrong

Peter Weddle is the author of over two dozen employment-related books, including Recognizing Richard Rabbit, a fable of self-discovery for working adults, and Work Strong, Your Personal Career Fitness System.

© Copyright 2009 WEDDLE’s LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

The American Dream.  While it is a quintessentially American aspiration, each of us has a unique vision of just what it is.  For some, the dream is a chance to build a successful business.  For others, it’s a home of their own.  And for still others, it’s the opportunity to shop until they drop.  As alluring as all of these visions are, however, I would respectfully suggest that they are outcomes of the dream and not the dream, itself.  The American Dream is actually a state of mind.

We all know, of course, that the American Dream exists because we live in a nation founded on certain extraordinary principles.  Much as we take them for granted, deep down inside, every American knows that they are especially fortunate to live in a land where they are accorded an enduring right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  While most of us are very clear about what Life and Liberty mean, however, there is some confusion about the pursuit of Happiness.  And it’s that misunderstanding which causes us to misperceive the American Dream.

The founding fathers, themselves, inadvertently provoked this situation with their capitalization choices.  They used initial caps on Life, Liberty and Happiness, when what they really meant to enshrine was a commitment to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.  In other words, what the American Dream promises is not a right to happiness, but a right to Achieve it on our own.

What does that mean for those of us in the workforce?

Over the past decade or so, social scientists have been trying to figure out just what happiness is and where it comes from.  While many of us think the answers to such questions are intuitively obvious, it turns out that we may be selling ourselves short.  Humans have the capacity not only to experience happiness, but to experience joy, as well.  And those two states are very different.

Joy is an emotional state.  It is derived from our relationships with family and friends.  When those interactions engage and satisfy us, when they enable us to be the best of ourselves with the others in our Life, we experience joy—one of the human species’ greatest gifts.

Happiness, on the other hand, is a cognitive state.  It occurs when we are tested by meaningful challenges that stimulate us to express and experience our fullest natural potential, our talent.  These challenges can occur anywhere, but they are most prevalent in the workplace.  In other words, our best shot at Achieving happiness occurs when we put ourselves in a position to excel at what we love to do.

That is the essence of the American Dream.  It is a personal commitment, a determination to devote our Life and exercise our Liberty to the accomplishment of two tasks:
To discovering our natural talent or what we love to do and do best.

To working only where we can use that talent to achieve satisfying goals.
The outcome of those tasks will be unique to each of us, but the tasks themselves are the same for all of us.  They represent our right to the Pursuit of happiness.

Those two tasks are also the key to a successful job search and a rewarding career.  Whether we’re in transition or currently employed, they enable and empower us to control our destiny, to shape it to an end that is important and fulfilling to us.  It is our right, to be sure, but it is also our responsibility.  For only we can take the first step, only we can decide to set off on our own personal Pursuit of happiness.

Why should we bother?  Because as wonderful as the joy is in our relationships, we deserve more.  We spend at least one-third of our lives at work, and that experience should offer more than frustration, anxiety and despair.  It should be, it can be a source of profound fulfillment.  Or what the founding fathers called Happiness.

Thanks for reading,
Peter
Visit my blog at Weddles.com/WorkStrong

Peter Weddle is the author of over two dozen employment-related books, including Recognizing Richard Rabbit, a fable of self-discovery for working adults, and Work Strong, Your Personal Career Fitness System.

© Copyright 2009 WEDDLE’s LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

Rat Rods may be a new way of making a living, if you like building cars. Some of the rat rod builders harvest all of the parts they use from salvage yards. Most of them collect and save all kinds of used engines and drive train stuff. The finished car will look a little ratty, hence the term rat rod. The only cost is welding supplies, wire, and good old fashion time. I have seen some very cool rustic old rods built, also driving on the road. The are not custom painted or never will be, that is the new look about them, some of the guys work harder to make them look that way. After they are done worth maybe $15000,00 more or less. So the next time you are passing the local burger joint that is having a car show, stop and see if you can pick out the Rat rods. You will be impressed and want to build one. There are $5.00 movies in that bin at our local ( you know the store ) the movie is called Hot Rods, Rat Rods. Well worth the money. If nothing else you may be inspired to build something, or go into the fabricating business. The picture below is a painted old drag race car. Maybe or maybe not a Rat Rod, but to me a very impressive  old super charged flat head Ford hot rod. Yes I said super charger as in blower. The owner owns a forging business and made his own adapter for the blower. Very nice work. The day of this picture he was teaching young students about how it is done. It tells a lot about people when they spend time to help young people plan the future.   

Based on a scientifically proven method to speed the search, Job Search Work Teams are ongoing groups of 6 to 12 people who meet weekly to work on their job searches together. If you are an Operations Management or Supply Chain professional (Production, Engineering, Inventory, Manufacturing, Project Management, Materials, Quality, Logistics, Information Technology, Purchasing) you can participate in the APICS Job Search Work Team.

The team follows the "Pierson Method" of job search from "The Highly Effective Job Search" ( http://amzn.com/0071464042 ), which participants purchase on their own. The Job Search Work Team also recommends purchasing the "Highly Effective Networking" ( http://amzn.com/1601630506 ) companion book. If you'd like to learn more about Job Search Work Teams, please visit http://www.highlyeffectivejobsearch.com/teams-orgs/jobsearchworkteam.htm .

The Job Search Work Team is not a therapy group, training session, or support group of the kind often used with job seekers. Instead it is:
- a group of people committed to helping each other in job search by keeping each other focused on key tasks and accountable for getting them done
- an advisory panel that knows you and your search and can provide good answers to the questions that come up in job hunting
- an opportunity for job hunters to share information and information sources, so everyone gets smarter about the job market
- a way to make the sometimes difficult job of job hunting easier and more pleasant
- a core network for its members
- a project management team

The APICS Job Search Work Team meets from 1:30 to 3:30 PM each Wednesday at the Jobing Tampa Office, located at 5301 West Cypress Street, Suite 200, Tampa, FL 33607. The team is limited to twelve members however new members are admitted as current members find jobs. To become a member of the Job Search Work Team, please contact Joanne Fort ( http://www.linkedin.com/in/joannefort ), Career Services Manager, APICS Florida West Coast Chapter, at FortJoanne@Gmail.com or (727) 789-1691.

http://www.APICS-FLWC.org
APICS Florida West Coast Chapter
Advancing Productivity, Innovation, and Competitive Success

Social recruiting is now emerging from its adolescence.  It’s moving beyond the wide-eyed exultation of early adoption to the squinty-eyed assessment of mature users.  The focus is less and less on what we can do with social media and more and more on how best to put it to work.

That’s especially apparent in the subset of social recruiting we call networking.  Social or professional networking online now clearly falls into two general categories of activity.  They are probably best described as content and contact networking.  Both can help you access high caliber passive prospects for your organization, but each is performed differently.

Content Networking

Content networking occurs in the discussion forums on job board and association Web-sites, in blogs on corporate sites and in Google’s newsgroups.  These destinations attract visitors who share a common career field or occupational interest and like to communicate and commiserate with each other about it.  The interaction is social—a community of sorts does form—but it’s primarily based on the topic being discussed.

In most but not all cases, the members of these communities are passive prospects.  They are not looking for a job.  More often than not, however, they are interested in advancing their careers.  Indeed, that’s why they are engaged by the content.  They want to be smarter in their career field and better able to put their occupational interests to work.  Said another way, they are top talent.

The only way to connect with these prospects effectively is by practicing the Golden Rule of Networking.  That axiom is simple yet inviolate—you have to give in order to get.  In other words, if you want the participants in these discussions to consider your openings, you have to first contribute to their content.

How can you do that?  By being the expert you are.  You know more about what employers are looking for in their field than they do.  You have a much better understanding of how to interact with a group they consider exotic and hard to understand: recruiters.  And, you have a more realistic sense of what employers will pay for certain kinds of expertise and different levels of experience.

So, don’t pretend to be someone you are.  Be yourself.  Then, when a participant’s contributions to the discussion single them out as a gem of a prospect, you can reach out to them privately and they’ll know who you are.  You will have established the familiarity and trust necessary to move even the most passive of prospects into a more active frame of mind.

Contact Networking

Contact networking occurs on professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, Ryze, Yorz and Ziggs.  These sites enable people to build out their connections in the workplace and thereby enhance their stature in their profession, craft or trade and/or make themselves “findable” by recruiters.  While the groups within LinkedIn and similar sites do facilitate content networking, most of those who join these sites do not participate in them.  They are simply interested in creating passive links that may prove helpful to them right now or at some point in the future.

The majority of those who sign on to professional networking sites would normally be passive prospects.  In today’s economy, however, it’s likely that a significant percentage are, in fact, active job seekers.  As in the real world, they are forging connections with others in the hopes of bumping into or being referred to a recruiter with an opening appropriate for them.

Networking in such a population, therefore, is basically an exercise in doing old-fashioned cold calling by email or InMail.  Just as executive search consultants have done for years, it involves moving through concentric circles of contacts to uncover candidates for an open position.  With the exception of the first circle—your own direct connections—the contacts are not personally known to you.  They are, instead, leads that may either identify a genuine prospect or provide yet another lead to someone else who could be.

The key to successful contact networking, therefore, is two-fold.  First, as with cold calling, the activity is basically a numbers game.  You have to keep pouring a lot of contacts into the top of the funnel in order to reach even a small number of legitimate prospects at the bottom.  Second, you have to know how to message with clarity and impact.  Long and windy communications are unlikely to be read so active job seekers are more likely to apply when they shouldn’t and passive prospects are unlikely to read them at all.  In effect, you have to find just the right balance between speed and engagement.

While we are still developing the best practices for both content and contact networking, these tools already represent some of the more mature applications of social recruiting.  They are not, however, a substitute for the array of other sourcing methods we employ to identify top talent.  They enable us to tap the power and promise of the social Web, but they incur a cost—the time commitment of the recruiter—that must be carefully managed within the context of your overall recruiting strategy.

Thanks for reading,
Peter

Visit my blog at Weddles.com/WorkStrong

Peter Weddle is the author of over two dozen employment-related books, including Recognizing Richard Rabbit, a fable of self-discovery for working adults, and Work Strong, Your Personal Career Fitness System.

© Copyright 2009 WEDDLE’s LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

The positive growth turned in by the American economy in the third quarter of this year suggests that maybe, just maybe this Great Recession is now in our rear view mirror.  As it fades away, of course, the tales will begin about what we did during this terrible time.  While recounting those legends is surely important, so too is sharing the insights we’ve acquired from our experience.

Cataclysmic events often alter our perceptions of the world around us.  That was true during the Great Depression, and it will be true as we emerge from this Great Recession, as well.  Some of these new views are opinions about what happened and why, but others are actually lessons that we’ve learned about how best to survive and prosper.  They’re the things we wish we had known before the event occurred because that knowledge would have undoubtedly enabled us to fare better than we did.

I think the sharing of this wisdom is good for us—it’s cathartic to acknowledge that we’ve earned an advanced degree in the school of hard knocks—but it’s even more helpful for our kids and grandkids.  In a very real sense, we are giving them a gift, a roadmap for the future that may help them avoid the dead ends and dangerous potholes they are sure to encounter.

Each of us has our own view of the lessons we should pass along.  For me, the following four insights are among the most important.  They are realizations everyone must have in order to chart a successful and fulfilling career in the 21st Century world of work.

Seeking job security makes you vulnerable.  In today’s turbulent economy, employers have no idea what will happen tomorrow or the day after.  They may promise you job security, but they can’t deliver it.  So, counting on it is likely to put you out for the count.  A far better objective is career security—the ability to stay employed in a job of your choosing regardless of the condition of any single employer or the economy as a whole.  Unlike job security, career security is a state you create for yourself.  You don’t have to rely on the good will of some employer.  You anticipate the changes in your career—the timing of a move from one boss or organization to another, the refocusing or reskilling that’s necessary to accommodate shifts in your industry or profession—and then you plan and execute those changes so they benefit you.

Recognition is something you give yourself.  Most managers and supervisors mean well, but if you wait for them to recognize your accomplishments at work, you’re likely to be disappointed.  Some have the social skills of a brick and others are too worried about their own security to take care of yours.  That’s why it’s important for you to keep track of your own “career victories.”  Sure, it takes a little effort to maintain a contemporaneous record of what you’ve done and how well you’ve done it, but that account will give you more satisfaction than most managers ever will.  Don’t just write it out, however; also review it regularly.  Take the time to remember what you’ve done and pat yourself on the back when you deserve it or give yourself a little counseling if you’ve let yourself down.

Working tirelessly is a sure way to get tired.  Sadly, many people in today’s world of work find themselves wired up with no place to go.  They’ve learned the hard way that staying continuously in contact with the office doesn’t protect you.  It exhausts you.  We’re all worried about the H1N1 flu becoming a pandemic, but workaholism already is.  If you have any doubt about that, look left and right the next time you’re lying on the beach.  Every other person will be glued to their Blackberry or iPhone checking their email.  The impact of such behavior on both individual performance and wellbeing is already acute and likely to get worse.  In a knowledge-based economy, your worth is measured not by your connectivity, but by your contribution.  And, your contribution suffers when you don’t give your mind and body a chance to rest.

Taking care of your career is the best way to take care of you.  The conventional approach to career self-management has been to get an annual checkup and leave it at that.  Historically, we paid attention to our career just once each year—during our performance appraisal and salary review.  That approach was dangerous then; today, it’s a sure-fire way to induce career cardiac arrest or what most of us call unemployment.  The only safe course in a workplace as turbulent as the one we now have is to develop career fitness the same way you develop physical fitness.  You have to commit yourself to building up the strength, endurance and reach of your career every single day.  Yes, that’s a lot of work, but it’s also a smart investment.  You spend one-third or more of your day in your profession, craft or trade, and you deserve an experience during that time that is every bit as good as the rest of your life.

We have acquired many insights from our experience over the past two years, but these four maxims are the key lessons we have learned.  They are the things we wish we had known so they are now the things we want others to know.

Thanks for reading,
Peter
Visit me at Weddles.com

Peter Weddle is the author of over two dozen employment-related books, including Recognizing Richard Rabbit, a fable of self-discovery for working adults, and Work Strong, Your Personal Career Fitness System.

© Copyright 2009 WEDDLE’s LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

It's the time of year when many job seekers take a break from their job search to enjoy the holidays with their family and friends. Conducting a job search is a challenging job (yes, it's your job for now) and everyone needs rest and relaxation at some point. Staying motivated 100% of the time is tough so one can very easily talk themselves into taking a week or two off from their search. Don't do it! Let me encourage you to minimize the time you spend away from your job search networking. Here's why:

1.  January, February and March are months when traditionally, a lot (relatively speaking) of hiring takes place. I encourage job seekers to press into their networking activities this time of year so they are better positioned to become the known candidate as positions become available. Many companies have approved their budgets for next year and are looking for candidates as you read this. Now is a perfect time to let them know who your are and how you can help them.

2.  Networking this time of year is easier for those who are not natural networkers. Since Thanksgiving just passed, and Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year holidays are ahead, conversation starters are already there for existing and new contacts. How difficult is it to get a conversation started by asking someone about their Thanksgiving or their upcoming plans for the holidays? Not difficult at all!

3.  Access to networking events is easier and less costly! When I coach job seekers with regard to finances part of our budget discussion focuses on networking costs. If one does not budget, they can very easily spend more than their unemployment benefit in networking costs in less than a month. Since there are many events where you can network for little or no cost, it is to your advantage to leverage those opportunities.

Another important networking courtesy to remember is this; when you are at your spouses office party or a friends house party, minimize the time you spend talking about your job search. Have a good time, meet as many new people as you can and follow up like crazy during the new year!

James Moore is a Career Ministry Facilitator for Your Career Calling, a ministry of Faith Outreach Center. For more information about this job seeker support group email James at Info@YourCareerCalling.org or visit us at http://www.YourCareerCalling.org.

Part 2:   Networking

How are you using your network?

a.  People I know from my old job know I am looking - but I haven't talked to people outside of my current professional circle.
b.  I sent out a blanket email to everyone on my email list - but nobody responded.
c.  I am not sure where to start.  People know I am looking, but I don't know how to get the help I need from them.

If any of the statements above describe you, you may benefit from revisiting some of the basics of networking:

Be a giver:  The best networkers I know are amazing at providing value to the people they are connected to at every opportunity. Whether it is sharing an interesting article, a piece of new information, a new contact - they always collect and share what is of value to others. Give to your network and it will give back to you.

Ask for help:  Once you are connected and begin bringing value to your network, there is a strong chance those in your network will want to help you back.  Have a clear, short statement to share with people in your network (personally - not in a spam email) about what you do and what type of job/contact/help you are looking for.  Good examples are:

example 1.  I am a materials engineer and I am looking to make a contact with someone who works in the XYZ industry.
example 2.  I have worked at salons for 10 years and I am looking for small business owners to talk with about what I need to do to get started on my own.
example 3.  I have recently graduated with a liberal arts degree and I am looking for an entry level position with a growing company.

Act on help and follow-up:  The most important step of networking is to use help that is offered to you and thank the person who has provided it.  This means you need to reach out to the contacts you have been introduced to, read the information people have shared, or go to the events that people have told you about.  After you've received help or information, follow-up with your contact and send a sincere thank you.  Include specifics about what was most helpful to you.  If the help lands you a job or something of substantial value, a thoughtful gift or dinner might be a nice gesture too!  Gratitude is great to receive and makes it more likely that a person will help you again in the future.


My next blog post will uncover opportunities for improvement in Interviewing ...

Karen Austin is a Certified Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC) and resume writer for Jobing Career Services.  For more information about Jobing Career Services or to get professional help writing a resume - email resumereview@jobing.com or visit our information page at www.jobing.com/careerservices.

Using the right tools for the job. When you work with tools all day, a quality tool can mean the difference between a bad injury and losing a few days work. When a tool slips, you can smash your hand, hit yourself in the face or fall into the side door of the car next to you. I have seen it. Injury's are worse the damaging another car. But both can cost you time and money. Lifetime warranty tools are not always the reason to buy a tool, you can spend a lifetime taking them back to the store to be replaced. Some of my tools I have had for over 30 years and they still are in perfect condition. There are many quality tools on the market now. But please make the right choice some injury's can be life long. There are a lot of automotive shop safety videos on line. Just do a search on line and watch the videos. Then you can also take tests on line to get a automotive safety certificate to go along with your resume. Just plain weekend auto work, or all the way to automotive performance work. Try to use the right tools. Chances are you will have less injury's. Thanks to Devastation Motorsports for the fine pictures of our car. For more Auto Performance pictures go to. www.Mendola.org or DevastationMotorsports.com

Clearing the Decks

“Alas, poor RSS feeds, I knew you well…”

It finally happened.

I reached that moment in my life where I just had to give in.

I succumbed to the pressure.

I virtually threw in the towel.

I used the “Delete All Items” button on my Google Reader for the first ever at 3 am today.

Who knows how many incredibly important items I flushed down the drain to go forever unread?    I am in a strange sort of vague anguish over this decision.

How will I ever know the unknown consequences?

I am a fool for Google Reader and RSS Feeds

Okay, I am being overly dramatic, but c’mon I read a lot of stuff via RSS every day.

Seriously, a LOT of stuff:

From your 629 subscriptions, over the last 30 days you read 29,389 items, starred 58 items, shared 1,078 items, and emailed 20 items.

It is kind of liberating to read  “All Items” has no unread items on the screen of my G1 though.  I think the patient may live!

This is a guest post provided for the HR Carnival by Eric Peterson from SHRM.   I’ll be publishing it on Human Race Horses and linking to it there as well.  Thanks for sharing, Eric!

“I just don’t understand why anyone has to talk about their sex lives at work,” she said. “I don’t talk about my sex life at work.”

She was a participant in a diversity class, and the topic of sexual orientation in the workplace had just been raised. As a workplace diversity educator, her statement was one that I’d heard many times before. She didn’t have anything against gay people, she said, but why did they have to bring such a private thing into the workspace? Isn’t it possible, she wondered, to show up, do the job, and wait until quitting time to be gay?

It was tempting for me, someone who has been openly gay in the workplace for over a decade now, to respond with, “well, I don’t know … couldn’t you just show up, do your job, and wait until quitting time to be straight?” But she wouldn’t have understood. To her, and to most of America, being straight isn’t sexual; it’s normal. Being gay, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely. And it is different, I suppose. But not entirely.

And so, in situations like this, I tend to take a couple of steps back and approach the situation with a little more gentleness. While it might be oddly comforting and infinitely more satisfying to simply tell this woman off, my goal in teaching these courses is not to emerge victorious, but to create real change.

So, a different approach is necessary. “Let’s say that it’s your first day on the job,” I propose. “And let’s say that it’s very important to you that no one at your new workplace knows for a fact that you are heterosexual.”

And she looks a little confused. Why on earth, she must be wondering, would she want to do that? And her reaction is telling. Some of her colleagues in class give her a knowing smile – pointed, but not condescending.

“Just play along for a minute or two,” I suggest. “You don’t want anyone at your new office to know, for a fact, that you’re straight.” There’s a slight pause, to let the concept sink in. “What do you have to do differently?” I ask. “What steps must you take to ensure that your secret is safe?” And now, she suspects where I’m headed with this, but is still silent. So I make a gesture, opening the question to the entire class.

And the answers come quickly. “You couldn’t discuss your husband or wife,” one participant offers. “If anyone asks what you did over the weekend,” another replies, “you’d have to talk around the fact that your spouse even exists.”

“You couldn’t even talk about your kids,” a young woman in front offers. There’s actually some resistance to this point, as many in the class correctly point out that lots of people, straight and gay, are raising children these days. “Yes,” she offers, “but as soon as you open that door and start talking about your family, it would be really hard not to acknowledge your co-parent at some point. I think it would be better to just leave all that stuff at the door, so you’re a professional and nothing more.”

“What else,” I ask. You couldn’t take personal calls at work. You’d have to take your wedding ring off. (“And how does your spouse feel about that?” I ask. And the class acknowledges that, even knowing the reasons why, that would be a particularly painful negotiation to conduct.)

One gentleman in the back of the class offers, “you’d have to ‘gay it up’ a little.” People chuckle, but I pursue the comment. I ask the man what he means. “Well,” he says, “if I didn’t want people to know I was straight, I’d want to throw them off track a little, you know … act sort of gay.” Even if that’s not who you really are, I ask. Yes, he replies, even then.

Finally, the young woman in front speaks up again. “You’d have to find one or two people at work that you really trust,” she says. “That way, you could tell them and at least feel like someone at work has your back.”

“But this is a big secret,” I note, “and once it’s out, it’s out. I mean, that’s some pretty good gossip right there. So first of all, how could you be sure that these one or two people are absolutely trustworthy? And even if they are, is it really fair to them, burdening them with this secret of yours?”

“Well,” she says, “I mean … well … it wouldn’t be easy, I guess.”

“So,” I say, “this is now your life at work; this is your reality. Are you happy? Do you like your job?” There are no words, but several people are shaking their heads from side to side. “Do you like the people you work with?” Again, no one speaks, but there are more than one shrugging of the shoulders, as if to say that there’s no liking or disliking anyone that you never really get to know. “Now let’s say you’ve been at this job for a year, and your first performance review is happening. Your boss likes your work, but tells you that you’re going to need to do a better job of networking. ‘Building relationships,’ she’ll say, ‘is really important at this company, and people don’t really feel like they know you. Just open up a little,’ she says. What do you say?” And again, there is silence.

“I quit,” says the gentleman in the back. “Like, now.” And again, the sound of chuckling fills the room. But my attention has now turned back to the woman who raised this issue to begin with. She’s not laughing. And I think, maybe, that now she’s beginning to get it.

Organization and Culture Matter

I started thinking about this after an interesting discussion that I had with Kris Dunn when we got together for coffee at Starbucks in Birmingham, Alabama last week.  Kris and I were  chatting about the ability of HR practitioners to implement programs that really work, and what type of work environment is required for them to work.

Now and Then

Two main views emerged.

One can be stated as:

If you have the perfect culture,  you should be poised to implement systems such as an advanced performance assessment process that have the best chance to optimize organizational performance over the long haul.   If such efforts don’t succeed within a successful culture, maybe these types of programs can’t be successfully implemented at all.

The other view is:

Culture is an important factor.  The stronger and more successful the culture, the better the chance for a successful implementation.  But however strong the culture and the system may be, these programs will always be subject to the whims and vagaries of the workplace culture.  No matter how perfectly designed a system may be, other factors internal or external to the organization are going to force changes to your system eventually.

Neither view is right or wrong.  Neither view is mutually exclusive.  I believe they need to be considered in tandem.  How do we go about doing that?

Organizational Sticks and Stones

I may be slightly stretching a metaphor, but go with me on this.

When a new structure is being built, one of the first steps is to lay a foundation.   Foundations are normally built from strong materials such as stone to ensure the stability of the structure that stands upon the foundation, and to ensure that the structural framework will be a lasting one.  The values and principles of any organization are the foundation upon which everything else about that are organization is built.  Let’s think of this foundation of principles and values as the metaphorical stones upon which the organization is built.

Going back to the building process, once the foundation has been completed, it is very common to find everything laid on top of that firm foundation is built from less sturdy materials such as wood, plastic and glass.  These materials are more flexible to work with, and more easily replaced if there is a need to change the structure.  All the policies, programs and systems that management puts into place to make the organization go are the building materials that define a company and make it go.  Let’s think of these programs and systems as the metaphorical sticks that make the organization function.

Withstanding the Winds of Change

As HR practitioners, we are often trying to put programs (Sticks) into place that are designed to improve the organization and make the business more successful.   However, it is clear that there are many factors that can impact the long term success of any system or program implementation

These can include:

• business conditions
• Cults of personality within the organization
• Perceived lack of value in the program by top leaders
• Changes within the the organization

There are many others.   The point here is that things beyond the control of the HR function will impact not only the successful implementation, but the long term viability of any strategic initiative (Structure) you may put in place.

Those organizations with a strong culture driven by values and principle (Stones) stand the best chance of long term success.  Well designed systems and programs (Sticks) will ensure that the organizational structure stays strong and viable.

Don’t let your company become  a house of cards, waiting to fall down in the first strong wind or disturbance!

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In the blogosphere, many subject matter experts share content in a sort of anthology post known as a "Carnival". According to Wikipedia, a blog carnival is a type of blog event. It is similar to a magazine, in that it is dedicated to a particular topic, and is published on a regular schedule, often weekly or monthly. Each edition of a blog carnival is in the form of a blog article that contains permalinks to other blog articles on the particular topic.

I recently hosted the Carnival of Human Resources on my own Human Race Horse blog.  I not only collected the largest number of posts in one round of the Carnival of HR with 86, but through the generosity of the contributors, we raised over $1,800 in contributions to Children Awaiting Parents. 

There are a lot of links in this article, but if you dig through it, you will find a treasure trove of information on workplace issues, human resources, and careers.  There are also a lot of links to wonderful charitable organizations who could use your help, if you are so inclined.  Enjoy!

The HR Carnival of Giving is now Open!

First up is Karla Porter, who is hopeful enough to place her trust in HR, and thinks that the rest of us should do so as well.  Karla obviously has a soft spot for the underdog professionals, and for the four legged kind as well.   Her preferred charity is the Humane Society of Cozumel Island.   Thanks for sending along the $2 in donations as well via Post a Dollar, Karla!

Jake Flanagin of the Maximize Possibility hits us up with 5 Ways to Keep Accountability from Becoming a Buzzword in Your Organization by Chris Young.

From Germany, Laura Schroeder explores the lighter side of human capital management on her blog Working Girl.  Here is her take on Gen Y, stress, and performance, amongst other things.  It is called Always available, Always broken.    Laura’s favorite charity is Repower America.  Good luck, Laura – thanks for jumping into the Carnival from across the pond!

One of the FOT team, Kelly Dingee drops by with her spin how one might go about Sourcing a Sourcer.  Kelly was indecisive about her favorite charity, giving dual shoutouts to charity:water and Donors choose – both charities she learned more about at TWTRCON.

Chris Ferdinandi from Renegade HR shares his thoughts on having a conversation about your work culture with his post  “Social” Media: How to have a conversation about your culture”.

Cathy Missildine-Martin shares her ideas on how HR can add to profits.  If Cathy is lucky when I draw for the winning charity, maybe the Samaritan House of Atlanta will reap a little profit thanks to her submission of their organization as her favorite charity.

Mark Levinson brings a big brained topic to the Carnival, sharing his intellectual insights on a really big topic (and an animal that NEVER forgets) with his brilliant piece,  The Elephant in the Room: Using Brain Science to Enhance Working Relationships.  He gives us a very smart charity choice as well with Kiva!

Mick Collins of InfoHRM shares some strong ideas on writing a mission statement for workforce analytics.  He keeps the strong coming with his charity nomination, LiveStrong.

We are coming into the holiday season, and it seems as though it is always hard to find the right thing, or locate that one person you need to talk to because they are visiting family in Wyoming or whatever.  Erik Samdahl shares something else that is hard to find with a post from the i4cp site called Workforce Planning Is the “Missing Link” for HR by Jay Jamrog.

Larry Wilson from the HR Commons blog shares some uncommonly insightful thoughts on what might be coming next for human resources.   He also shares a singular charity with his choice of ONE.

Jason Seiden likes to call things the way he sees them, and he thought his post on work life balance or the lack thereof would be perfect for the Carnival.  Thanks for sharing, Jason!

Joan Ginsberg loves animals.  She also blogs about them sometimes.  She shares her thoughts on what HR can learn from pet owners.   Joan also submits the Michigan Humane Society for her charity.   Joan was also one of the generous folks who stepped up and added their generous support to this little charitable initiative.  Thanks for your generosity, Joan!

Another generous soul that added to the charity pool is Lance Haun.  Lance just celebrated his wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago.  (by listening to HR Happy Hour if I remember correctly!) and this got him thinking about other anniversary events.  Check out why Lance thinks work anniversaries still matter.  Typical of Lance, he submits the ThyCa Research Fund in honor of his wife, a survivor.

Paul Smith rolls into the Carnival with a Hollywood-inspired post from his new site, Welcome To The Occupation.  You might say he was channeling his inner Breakfast Club.  The post is titled I’m Doing Society A Favor…So? (a tribute to John Hughes).  For his charity, Paul submits MANNA.   Welcome to the Carnival, Paul!

John Hunter strolls onto the scene with a post from the Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog called Learn Lean by Doing Lean.   For his charity, John submits Kiva an organization which he promotes on his blog.

The blogger with the most infectious giggle ever, and the Carnival’s main operator Shauna Moerke jumps on the merry-go-round with her take on why it is important to know some people, but not just any people. For her charity pick, Shauna stays Minnesota local and selects Open Arms Minnesota.

Steve Boese is going to be a part of our HR Social Media Street team at the HR Florida 2010 State Conference.  (call for presentations extended until December 28th!)  Steve is also one of our generous contributors to the Carnival in more ways than one.  Steve is matching my contribution dollar for dollar, and also throws in his two cents on applying some of the principles that professional basketball scouts (talent evaluators) use to the workplace.   For his charity, Steve recommends Heritage Christian Stables, an organization that does therapeutic horseback riding programs for children and adults with various developmental challenges.

Margo Rose, aka HR Margo has written a post especially for the Carnival.  Her touching and personal post deals with why finding a cure for diabetes is so very important to her.  Her charity of choice is the American Diabetes Association.   Thanks for being a part of the Carnival, Margo!

Allen Robinson of the Logic Writer blog comes to the defense of our favorite professional organization for human resources professional.  Find out why he believes that SHRM is not the harbinger of the apocalypse in the uniquely titled post, Why SHRM is not the Anti-Christ of HR.  When I read it, I learned that Allen and I are both alumni from the University of Michigan.  Go Blue!  In another unique move, Allen nominates his own employer organization, Volunteers of America North Alabama as his preferred charity.

The host of the last regular Carnival, Ben Eubanks from Upstart HR did a great job of promoting the concept of using the Carnival venue as something more than just an anthology collection of blog links.  He inspired my idea to try to do something for charity in this round.  You should go read his about how to make the carnival (or any post) matter.  I agree with Ben who says “I think it would be awesome if people would take the challenge. They’d be surprised at what it may accomplish.”   Ben also supports his employer as his favorite charity, which also happens to be Volunteers of America North Alabama .

Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership brings to the brink of leadership, writing about The Center for Creative Leadership and their newly issued their “Leadership Gap” report, including an interesting list of things that survey respondents think won’t be important for leaders five years from now.  You should have a look, but please Mind the Leadership Gap!  Wally also tells me he wouldn’t mind if the Salvation Army was the recipient of our donation.

Gautam Ghosh rides the roller coaster all the way from India, sharing his thoughts on Building Open Organizations.   Gautam tells us that his favorite charity is CRY India (Child Rights and You)

Jessica Lee, the brilliant editor over at Fistful of Talent gives Tim Sackett the day off with pay to go to the amusement park for doing a great job telling us what to do once you become a new manager or HR manager.   Since Jessica asked me to choose a charity, I picked one from Washington DC on her behalf:  DKT International which promotes family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention all over the world.

Melissa Prusher (Dude!) from the DEVON Group shares this post on finding a mentor.  The favorite charity at the Devon Group is Lunch Break in Red Bank NJ.

Laurie Ruettimann, the anarchist riot grrl of the HR world shares her perspective on Employee Wellness Programs and Health Insurance with us.  She would also like to share our donation with her favorite charity, Kalamazoo Animal Rescue.

Justin Hillier joins us from Europe with a post off the ERE site by wondering Is your social media strategy, 120, 240, or 360 degrees?  His charity is Livestrong aka the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Susan Burns of Talent Synchronicity is another one of our generous supporters offering a matching contribution of $100 to our cause.  Check out this post in which she shares her thoughts on Talent Camp.  Susan nominates Women Thrive Worldwide as her charity.

Meghan M. Biro tells us her reasons for starting a new blog in her guest post on The Red Recruiter blog called Why blog?.

Jane  Perdue of the life, love, and leadership blog points out that Integrity is A Non-negotiable Leadership Requirement. She also points us to her charity nomination, the Center for Women.

From the blog Deeply Rutted, Shennee Rutt urges us to ride the fast rides in her post, Rock ‘em, sock ‘em and knock ‘em!  Her charity is the Lupus Foundation of Pennsylvania.

Dan McCarthy of the award-winning Great Leadership blog asks should Leadership and Management Development be a national priority?  Another priority for Dan is his favorite charity, Children Awaiting Parents.

Lisa Rosendahl of Simply Lisa is thinking of taking away your supervisor card, so Card carrying supervisors, take heed!  Lisa has submitted the Autism Society for her charity.

It’s Kelly Mitton , sending in a post from her new blog Thryving after she saw the notice on the HR Carnival scroll across Facebook.  Kelly tells us  How to Build an HR Mentorship Program.  Kelly chooses the Food Bank of Western New York as her charity, still supporting  Buffalo even though she is in Texas now!

Naomi Bloom uses the 2 for 1 special matinee rate to get in the Carnival, telling us that The Road from HRM to Business Results is Littered with Misguided Metrics Part I and Part II.   Naomi recommends the American Cancer Society as her charity.  Naomi was also kind enough to make a nice donation in support of this charitable fund raising effort, which is greatly appreciated!

Benjamin McCall of RethinkHR.org steps away from the miniature golf tournament long enough to share What Golf has taught me about HR.  Benjamin told me to pick any charity, so in keeping with the topic of the post, we will go with the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Amit Bhagria visits from Young HR Manager to give his overview on Career Opportunities with an Ego.  Since Amit didn’t provide a charity, I am assigning the Association for India’s Development on his behalf.

Dawn Bugni from Dawn’s Blog visits to suggest if you “Think threatening to leave to get a raise is a good idea? Think again.” Her charity selection is Monty’s Home.

Trish Mcfarlane offers an amazingly personal piece on why she supports the March of Dimes called Carnival of HR and Charitable Giving.  It is well worth taking the time to give it a read.

Graham Salisbury of HR Case Studies in the United Kingdom shares a blog post that seemed to attract some enlightened and amusing comments called Phwoarr! Nice legs, shame about the policies! His charity web site is St. Catherines.

Our friend Lois Melbourne from Aquire drops by the funhouse to tell us about a need for the cure to breast cancer, and her support the the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Veronica Ludwig takes a moment to ask “What’s with the attitude?“  For her charity, Veronica nominates Helping from Heaven: the Lexi Kazian Foundation.

The TalentedApps team shows how HR has a great opportunity to improve the way risk impacts strategic success for the business with HR: Why Broaden Your Risk Perceptive?.   They also add their support for the American Cancer Society.

Victorio Milian, the Creative Chaos Consultant creates fresh content for the Carnival with his Kindergarten, Recruitment, and Poker-What needs to change? Victorio also likes the New York Public Library as his charity.  He also asked that I add this audio file on his behalf.

Dan Nuroo travels all the way from Australia to visit the Carnival to help us prepare for holiday shopping by telling to be sure to Knock with our elbows.   Dan’s charity preference is the MS Society.

Alicia Arenas from Sanera PDC makes her Carnival debut with her social media take titled I‘m OK, You’re OK: Social Media Self Esteem.  I am assigning Challenged Athletes as her charity.

Gareth Jones of the Inside my Head blog from the United Kingdom warns us about HR and the Talent Catastrophe.  Charity assigned is Human Rights Watch.

Mervyn Dinnen of the T Recs blog reminds us that candidates have feelings too.   And his charity link is UK November – it’s a men’s prostate cancer charity, and most of the guys in his office are growing moustaches to support them.   You can click on the donate page and give to the cause rather than an individual.

Eric Peterson from SHRM provides this post related to diversity he calls a Closet with a View.  The charity assigned for Eric is the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute.

Fran Melmed writes to tell us about the five people who really deserve your thanks.   Fran also strongly recommended a post on giving thanks by Amanda Hite which I am including as well.   The charity I am assigning here is Groundspark.  Fran was also generous to add $100 to the donation kitty.  Thanks for your generosity, Fran!

Jon Ingham, who formerly held the very informal HR Carnival record for “most links” generously helps break his own record by sharing this post on Sustainability from the CIPD conference in the UK.  For his charity, Jon designated Oxfam International, which is mentioned in the post as well.  Thanks, Jon!

Susan Heathfield provides a great overview on the Paid Sick Leave Dilemma facing business today.  She chose the Salvation Army as her charity.

Jennifer V. Miller kindly helps us push toward 100 links by sharing her post on ways to ensure that you are creating a “positive bank balance” with your relationships.  Her charity selection is the Red Cross.

My buddy Frank Roche adds to the Carnival mayhem with a daily tip on for improving employee engagement.   For his charity, Frank gets Live United.

Mike Haberman who writes the HR Observations blog goes all Geena on GINA.   Mike’s charity is the Atlanta Children’s Shelter.

Debbie J. Brown of Bent Creek Books writes about her experience and thoughts as she traveled to HRevolution in Outliers and Unconferences.   Her charity is Room to Read.

Dorothy Dalton who writes the Future Perfect: Career Transition Strategies blog issues the battle cry “Let’s go girls…negotiate!“  It is a good post on an important issue. Go read it.  Her charity choice is UNICEF.

Michael Krupa of InfoBox shares some software tips for vendors.  Mike also generously shares his own money, offering to share $1 per post for all posts to the Carnival.   My Charity is the Golden State Greyhound Adoption.  Mike says “I own 2 rescued greyhounds and they are most magnificent, gentle and beautiful dogs I know.” Thanks for your compassion and generosity, Mike!

Tammy Colson of HR Junkyard is another generous contributor, sharing out of her own pocket for the charity pool (up to $100!) and also explaining Volunteering and What’s in it for you.  Tammy, thanks for helping make this effort work!

Kevin Grossman of HR Marketer gives us a post on the ways in which Human Resources weave the safety net for victims of intimate partner violence in the workplace.  Kevin also sent me an email telling me that he is also in for $1 per post for the charity donation as well ($100).  His choice of charity is the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Stephanie Kempa is a first time contributor to the Carnival and shares the following:  Your tweets have me interested in participating in HR Carnival — my post is “Why Twitter is Worth Your Time“.  I don’t profess to be a social media expert by any means, but wanted to provide an analogy to help people who are trying to figure out if it has business value or not. Stephanie, the post rocks and so does your choice of charity: YMCA Camp Manitou-lin, donations go to help send kids to camp who can’t afford to attend otherwise – camp’s motto is “building better people”, which is a very good thing!

Leanne Chase contributes to HR in many ways.  Today she contributes this piece on the disconnect between jobseekers and recruiters with the apropos title, Jobseekers are from Mars, Recruiters from Venus.  Leanne is also another generous contributor, throwing $50 into the pot.  Her favorite charity, described in her own words:   A charity I happen to really like is Angel Flight.   I cannot imagine needing to get a loved one somewhere for medical help or not be able to join a loved one in need due to financial pressures.  I think the work they did reuniting families separated during Katrina was wonderful.

HR Superstar  Bonita Martin loves a party.  See what she has to say about performance in her post “Performance Reviews: Party, parting, or feedback? ".   Her charity is the All Stars Project

Joan Schramm offers her take on How to Motivate Employees After Layoffs.  Her charity is the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League (www.magdrl.org).  They are also on twitter at @magdrl – cool!

Sharlyn Lauby, the affable proprietor at the HR Bartender (as well as my friend and neighbor) serves up her usual sage advice with a very interesting post involving Workplace ethics and three monkeys.  After all, what’s a carnival without monkeys?  The circus? the zoo?  Never mind… For her charity, supporting Back to the Wild.

The HR Store is open for business and seeking customer feedback with the query “Awards aren’t retention tools? Or are they?“.  They are associated with a charity trust called ‘Divyadeep’ in their state (Karnataka) in India and here’s the link to their site.

Andy Spence from Glass Bead Consulting and the HR Transformer blog offers up some international flavour with this post on trends for social networking in the United Kingdom.  Andy’s  chosen charity is The Christie Charity in Manchester – Towards a Future without Cancer.

Mike Kohn at The HR Intern writes about another staple of this time of year for most HR practitioners in open enrollment, it’s the most wonderful time of the year!  Mike’s selected charity is the Human Rights Campaign.

Andy Headworth shakes off an overwhelming schedule to share the 25 things that Gen Y will just not believe ever happened!  Andy’s charity will be Leukaemia Research.

Mark Stelzner is also chipping in $100 for our donation pool.  Mark is the founder of Job Angels, and an all around great guy.  His post tells us 3 ways to kill a conversation!

Anita Santiago of Workforce Connection is a generous sharer on twitter.  Today she shares the idea that it is okay to toot your own horn.  Well done, Anita!  Her charity is Feed The Children.

The omnipresent Bill Boorman shares this post from his UK based blog Norton Folgate in which he ponders community and where he lives.  Bill is perhaps the most generous connector of all the people I know through social networking.  If you don’t follow Bill on twitter, you should be. His charity of choice is the is Round Table Children’s Wish.

HireCentrix asks that we please put the Human back in HR.  I couldn’t agree more!  The charity of choice here is Abilities United.

Ryan Estis likes to exhibit passion on purpose.  He also has some ideas on Meaningful Work.  His charity is also a meaningful one, the American Cancer Society.

Morgan Schwartz of Omaha.net submits a pair of posts on behalf of colleagues.  They are Workplace Bullying by Kathleen Nicolini and how to How to Explain an Employment Gap by Vickie Seitner.  Thanks to Evil HR Lady for directing them to the Carnival!   I am assigning the well known Omaha charity Boys Town here.

Beth Carvin of Nobscot provides a guest post to Human Race Horses about what happens when new employees lose their enthusiasm called Shiny Happy People Gone Bad.  Beth selects Feeding America as her charity.

Chernee Vitello aka the hightech recruiter asks an appropriate Thanksgiving question: Are you ready for some football? Her choice for a charity is also very seasonal with Christmas Sharing.

Kris Dunn is kicking $50 into the pot for charity. He also kicked in this post from his blog in which he calls a bunch of HR peeps “secretaries”.  Go see where you stand!  His charity is the American Cancer Society.  Thanks for the donation support, KD!

Erick Taft asks what is your organizational foot print? in a guest post on HRH.  Charity selection is Shoes That Fit.

Jenny DeVaughn shows us how to use social media to fight cancer!  American Cancer Society

Stephen M. Geraghty-Harrison send me a post from HR Gumbo that I missed the first time around which is sort of an HR Christmas Carol.  Sorry Stephen, but you are in now, buddy!  Stephen wants to nominate the SHRM Foundation on behalf of HR Gumbo.

Michael Long aka The Red Recruiter sends in a late post from his holiday travels.  Michael suggests that you punch your recruiting gloom in the face!  Michael has a charity but the link is on my phone and my phone is in the car from picking Michael up at the airport and it is pouring rain outside and ….he sent in his charity, which is Rotary!

Vinayana Talwar from Mumbai who writes the talent@coffee blog asks that I add this post about HR’s  unexpected encounters with Black Swan events.

Ruth Estwick aka HR Stalker provides a late entry via guest post on HR Junkyard.  Here are her thoughts on how HR should be walking the talk and be the Change.

Recruiting Animal sends along this audio message on Personal Chemistry In Hiring, and submits on behalf of a  cousin who has parkinsons disease via the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Somehow I misplaced the original submission by Sarah White.  Let me correct that error now by offering you the chance to be the 85th post to the Carnival.  What a perfect day to read her take on The Gift of (thanks)GIVING.

Wendy Jacob sends along her thoughts on the personal benefits of social media.  For her charity, she submits Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Peter Gold from Hire Strategies submits a post called “who you calling stupid, stupid?“.  For his charity, he suggests cancer research. (see above)