Recruiting and Retention

Jennifer McClure from Fistful of Talent wrote an interesting post on ditching your corporate job to become a recruiter.  It made me think that there may be unemployed people right now who are deciding to enter the world of consulting.  You know, those who figure that they did ‘insert any job function here’ in Corporate America and now will have Corporate America independently pay them to do ‘insert same job function here.’  You know who you are.

Before abandoning the job search, there are a few things that anyone considering consulting should realize:

1. Consulting is not a job, it’s a life.  You don’t just stop working at 5 p.m.  You will work into the night, on weekends, and holidays.  And, when you aren’t finishing a project or providing services to a client, you’ll be working on getting new clients.  The phone doesn’t just ring…you have to make it ring.
2. You can’t specialize in everything.  I’m not saying that you aren’t smart and don’t know your stuff.  But you’ll want to be an expert in something.  Whatever that is, be the best at it.  AND, you’ll not always be the right consultant for a company.  Just like when companies hire employees, they look for consultants who are a culture fit.  Companies want consultants they can relate to and trust.
3. Big companies are not the only people who use consultants.  I’m amazed at the consultants I know who only focus on big companies.  That’s nice but don’t forget there are a lot of small and medium size companies who are looking for consultants to help them become big companies.
4. All of your resources will come from you.  If you want a website, health insurance or a fancy office, that all has to be financed by you.  I’ve been in business for six years and, to this day, have no stationary.  Why?  My clients don’t ask me to write letters so why spend the money?  I do have an iPhone, however, because my clients want me to be accessible.
5. Lastly, being a consultant is not about the money.  That’s not to say that you can’t make a good living.  But there are things far more important than money - like your reputation and your time.  Think about that.

Consulting is incredibly exciting and rewarding.  I have great clients and get involved in interesting projects.  But it’s not without challenges.  Before you make the leap, take off the rose-colored glasses, open your eyes wide, and be very careful . . . you may just get what you want.

I’m starting to prepare for the upcoming 4^th of July festivities.  For me that means, figuring out the perfect wine to serve with burgers and ribs (more on that later.)

But I’ve noticed a lot of media reports about citizens being upset that their city has canceled the local fireworks display.  The reasons cited for cancelled fireworks range from the bad economy to environmental concerns.  It’s amazing to me how a city can cry foul that their budgets are down due to the poor housing market, cut services to communities and still pay big money for a fireworks display.

How many city employees could you pay with the money spent on a fireworks display?

Now, don’t get me wrong…I’m not anti-fireworks.  But when times are tough in our businesses, we all start that ‘gotta get creative’ speech.  Find ways to do more with less.  Shouldn’t we be doing that now?

Mom used to work for a very famous theme park in Orlando, and plenty of times she had to work on a holiday.  I know that some people feel it’s unthinkable to work on a weekend or holiday…but my point is that we didn’t miss out.  We just celebrated when we were all together.  It wasn’t about the date on the calendar…it was about the spirit of the holiday and being together as a family.

As we enter into the weekend, ask yourself, is it about the fireworks or what the fireworks stand for?  Personally, I’d give up some fireworks to know a couple of my friends had jobs.

Oh!  and if after reading this, you are still looking for the perfect wine for those burgers…check out Little Black Dress wines.  Their merlot is just peppery enough for a beef burger or ribs.  They also make a chardonnay for you turkey burger fans.  A portion of their proceeds go to the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation.  So take a tip from me and sip for a cause… 

One of the leading career search sites, CareerBuilder.com, is sponsoring ‘unhappy hours’ on a Facebook page for job seekers and anyone looking for new employment.

This begs the question…would you be seen at an ‘unhappy hour’?  I mean, it’s one thing to hang out with your co-workers and complain about your boss while consuming the mojito of the day…but would you declare to your posse that you’re going to ‘unhappy hour’?

Now, I do realize that this is just a marketing strategy to get the passive job seekers thinking about their next opportunity.  But isn’t there an image quotient that we need to maintain?

I would like to think that no one will check the box on their application that says they heard about the job at ‘unhappy hour’…that might send a red flag to a hiring manager.  Think about it…

Lots of things going on at the SHRM Annual Conference in Chicago.  Most people are scurrying back and forth between concurrent educational sessions just soaking in the knowledge.  Some are networking like crazy.  And let’s not forget the seemingly endless after-hours receptions.

There’s a huge expo hall with literally hundreds of vendors - all offering a wide variety of products and services aimed squarely at the HR professional.  Businesses spend megabucks to be here for their one big chance to get in front of this audience.

So why are the booth staffers just standing around just talking with each other?  Some are sitting behind their little tables not paying any attention to what is going on.  One was checking her emails.  Someone told me that the Yahoo people were visiting the CareerBuilder booth about finding a new job. 

It’s not everyone, of course, and I understand that some of it might just be that fine balance between marketing a business and managing a life.   But every day the media reports we’re in a recession and all of these companies are here to help improve their respective bottom lines.  Why isn’t there a high level of employee engagement to support this critical sales effort?

Have these people simply checked-out while on the clock?  If this is the behavior in front of such a large crowd, what are your employees doing in the relative security of their cube?

With everyone trying to watch their pennies, employee recognition can be a challenge.  Let’s face it, when we have money…we just buy something for employees to thank them.  Many managers believe that employees only respond to cash and gifts.  So, if the budget gets a little tight…recognition stops.

It’s times like these when managers can show their employees that they truly appreciate their work.  Here are 3 things you can do that cost nothing (translation:  they’re free!)

1. Point out the great job someone is doing at an employee meeting.  If you are afraid that pointing out their achievements will ostracize the employee for being a brown-noser…then recognize them with a small group of their peers.
2. Write the employee a note.  Everyone likes a surprise thank you card.  Got terrible handwriting? Then send an email.  And, be specific!  Tell the employee exactly what they did that was terrific.  Really want to blow them away?  Splurge on a stamp and mail the note to their home.
3. Too busy you say??  Leave them a voicemail.  You can plan your message and leave it after the employee goes home for the night.  When they get to work in the morning, the first thing they hear is a nice voicemail…how rare is that?!

Employee recognition does not have to be big, expensive or time consuming. It just has to be real.

We’ve all heard “Walk the Talk”… 

Vurv and the Human Capital Institute just published a survey about the impact and future of the human resources profession called “The Role of HR in the Age of Talent.”  The article discusses their research on the strategic value that HR provides in business decisions.  The report’s bottom line:  the good news is that HR is making progress but, sadly, not fast enough. 

Interesting.  I never see articles about the effectiveness of the finance profession or the marketing profession…maybe I’m not looped into the right network.  The only professionals that have articles written about their overall performance are CEOs and Human Resources professionals…hmmm… 

Kris Dunn from The HR Capitalist said it best, “When people say HR stinks, it’s simple…don’t stink.”  HR’s actions need to speak louder than their words.