Jobing.com: Colorado Community Blog

Happy Holidays - Are you having a party? - Lorrie Ray - Mountain States Employers Council, Inc.

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:05:43 GMT

Preliminary results from Mountain States Employers Council's 2009 survey indicate that 25 percent of responding employers will not have a holiday party this year, up from 13 percent in 2007. And, while 72 percent of employers allowed employees to bring a guest in 2007, that number has decreased to just 56 percent this year.

While no one faults employers for yielding to economic realities, celebrations are important for creating a sense of belonging and boosting employee morale. Even if you must cut back, schedule time to include holiday revelry.

There are many ways to celebrate cost-effectively. Companies accustomed to catering a full dinner at an outside venue might keep the nice location, but scale back to snacks and drinks. Other employers use the holidays as a time to help the less fortunate. Joining together with co-workers to collect food for the homeless or provide gifts to children who would otherwise have none can be a tremendously festive and bonding experience.

Employers should be mindful of issues that arise around company celebrations, regardless of the economy. For example, forcing employees to attend an event is not only bad for morale, but can make the time spent at the party compensable and increase workers' compensation liability. If you ask employees to contribute money toward a celebration, make sure the amount is affordable, or employees will stay home. Don't increase your liability to put on a good show; urge employees to drink alcohol responsibly. Think twice about providing an "open" bar, or leave the bar open for a short time only. Finally, leave clients and shop talk out of the event so employees can relax and be themselves.

5 Ways to Develop Relationships Through Twitter - Brett Farmiloe - Pursue the Passion - Denver

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:00:34 GMT

I have a theory: no one pays attention to you on Twitter. Your tweets don't matter. That is, unless, you appear in a user's @reply box. Then, people will pay attention to you, or at least, know that you're paying attention to them.

With that said, there are a few ways that you can use Twitter to develop relationships through @replies. Here are 5 ways you can get people to pay attention to you, just by including an @ symbol, a username, and a 140 character message.

1) Pay attention to people you follow. Instead of following everyone, follow only people you care about. Using Dunbar's number, shoot for 150 people to follow. This will allow you to see relevant tweets when you log into the home page, and will allow you to easily make a @reply comment on someone's tweets.

Notice how all of these tweets on the home page are from 10 seconds ago...this is useless to pay attention to. Compare that, to this...

This stream of tweets is full of relevant information dating back a full hour. It's much easier to pay attention to the people you're following when you're following a reasonable amount of people. Now I could reply to the tweet from @jobing with my thoughts on the real jobless rate.

2) Form a list of people to follow. This is an even more effective way to listen to what people are tweeting, because your lists can be small, and will capture every tweet that comes through. This allows you to @reply using the same method as above.

This list of associations, compiled by @JobingSanDiego, allows us to see what is happening with associations in San Diego. These tweets date back until last week, making it much easier to give a quick @reply to an association. For example, @JobingSanDiego can make a list like this, log in once a week, and comment on news like @SMChamberCA's new logo.

3) Thank people for including you on a list. This is an easy one. Just click on lists and you'll see the people who have listed you.

Simply @reply to them with a 140 character note of thanks.

4) Twitter Search. This is one of the coolest ways to have conversations on Twitter. This is like showing up at a party where everyone has the same interests as you. It's just a matter of who to talk to, and what to talk about.

For example, if you really want to meet people in the area who are involved with associations, you can do a search in your local area and find people to have conversations with.

This is a great way to establish new contacts, and find out about new opportunities. If you were to do a search like this on a frequent basis, you'd be able to find stuff to @reply about all the time. Just above, you could reach out to @MGAers about the Teacher of the Year Award, or @KeithKanemoto about the big news with the Colorado Association of Realtors.

5) Check your own @reply box and respond to the people who are @replying to you. None of the steps mentioned above will be effective if you ignore this step. Check in at least once a day to see if anyone has reached out to you, or responded to any of your @replies.

To do this, just log into your home page and click your @username. This will pull all tweets mentioning your username, and will allow you to directly respond to the people who have reached out to you. For example, I could @reply to @cheezhead and say, 'Did you catch the part about the bowl of yellow M&M's in that video?'

If you implement these five ways to tweet replies to the people you're following, Twitter will quickly become a valuable tool to you and your business. Or, you can continue to tweet and hope someone...anyone...is out there listening. Twitter is much more valuable if you're the listener, rather than the obnoxious guy at the party who talks to much about themselves.

So listen, @reply, and watch Twitter turn into a tool you couldn't live without.

Brett Farmiloe is the community social media manager for Jobing.com. He tweets under the username, @thatpassionguy. Get @ him if you ever have questions about social media, and how it relates to recruiting.

Social Recruiting 102 - Peter Weddle - Weddle's -Denver

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:07:34 GMT

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

Thanksgiving "helpings" from the Accounting and Business School - Daniel Seatvet - Accounting & Business School of the Rockies

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:44:27 GMT

For many individuals and families this Thanksgiving season, one has to really dig deep to find something they are thankful for. It can be a difficult and stressful time right now. But there is encouragement and hope on the economic horizon. And it is my hope that you can enjoy this Thanksgiving time to be with friends and other loved ones who have helped you along, giving you encouragement and hope. I would encourage you to look at the little blessings that you have received during your time of unemployment.

Perhaps it was the helpful worker at the Workforce Center that helped you to get your resume straightened out. Perhaps it was someone at the recent Jobing.com job fair who took the time to discuss how working for their company could become a reality. Or perhaps it was a school you are currently attending to get that additional education and training so that you can move into your next work situation as a more capable and qualified employee.

A lot of times people lack the self-confidence to do the job they are applying to do. And the employer picks up on that insecurity. But there are ways to gain that kind of self-confidence that you need to do your job well. One way is to show your employer on your resume that you are actually qualified to do the job you are doing. Getting additional training, certifications, and education is the perfect way to show your employer that you can do the job you want to do.

I would invite you to consider the Accounting and Business School of the Rockies as your next step to gain that self-confidence and training you need to show an employer you are capable of doing the job. We offer three to five month Certificate programs in Professional Bookkeeping, Administrative Assistant, Office Manager, Customer Service/ Call Center, and Microsoft Power User. We also have some great specials going on right now. For example, you can receive a FREE resume/interview class with the purchase of any one or more class in Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Office, Telecommunication, Office Procedures, or Customer Service. If you would like to learn more or set up a complimentary and personalized visit of the school, please contact Daniel Seatvet at 303-755-6885 or Daniel@ABSRschool.com. Thanks, we’ll see you soon!

5 Ways to Stay Positive during Your Job Search - Sabrina Risley - Behind the Moon, Inc.

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:35:38 GMT

It can be extremely difficult to remain positive about finding a new job when you have been in the market for a few weeks, month, or maybe even a year or more. It’s easy to feel defeated, but it’s important that you make a commitment to stay positive and trust that in the end, it will work out as it should.

Here are five ways to stay positive during your job search:

1.      Get outside. It’s important that you get fresh air, take a break, and break away from checking job boards and emails. Fresh air, sunlight, and nature have a profound impact on a person’s mood. Going outside even for 10 minutes can be beneficial.

2.      Exercise. Moving your body gets you out of your head, and you know as you are searching, you are in your head thinking, strategizing, over-analyzing and who knows what else. Exercise also increases endorphins to help you remain upbeat and positive. So, get out and move it, move it

3.      Seek Support. Find a group of supportive, positive, and uplifting people that can help you see that this too shall pass. Having a few supportive people with whom you can discuss your fears and concerns is a critical component to help you get through this time. Be sure they are not going through the same thing and wanting to drag you down with them. Find people who have been there and made it through or others who are simply kind and supportive.

4.      Protect yourself. Whatever you do, don’t hang around people who are skeptical about their own future and who will just add fear to your situation. Some will tell you “it’s easier to search for a job when you have a job” or other sneaky remarks that do a number on your ego and sense of faith. When you notice that you are surrounded with “negative-nellies,” politely decline their invitations to get together.

5.      Find a passion. Most people will suggest you should be spending your entire day searching for a job. And while it’s true, you do need to put in some time searching, writing cover letters and resumes, there really is still time to have some fun and enjoy life. When you do get your next job, I guarantee you will look back and realize how fast time has passed and wonder “why didn’t I actually enjoy it.” Sure, easier said than done. But find a passion, a hobby, or something you enjoy and get lost in the moment. The search will still be there when you return.

Bio:
Sabrina M. Risley is the owner and founder of Behind The Moon, Inc. Sabrina and her team organize several monthly networking events, which provide a unique means for entrepreneurs to promote and grow their business, and help their fellow entrepreneurs do the same. Sabrina also makes use of Behind the Moon’s new Referral Groups, their website and the company's Membership Program to further promote businesses. To receive a copy of Behind the Moon’s Networking for Success FREE report visit http://bit.ly/7Whyi

Giving Thanks - Elissa Heimburger - Owl-HR

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:29:01 GMT

Many of our families have had to live on a tighter budge this year due to a smaller income. Some folks are just entering the workforce for the first time, while others are changing careers completely after a lay-off. In the midst of all this change, faced with multiple challenges, it is amazing to me how resourceful many people are.

As Thanksgiving approaches, with an incredible turkey dinner on the horizon, I can’t help but think of so many things I am grateful for. I am most grateful to call Colorado my new home. Although the desert southwest is a beautiful place, the Rockies offer a new kind of adventure, like snow shoeing.

From a career perspective, I am thankful for some great organizations, local entrepreneurial women and fellow jobing.com bloggers. Mountain State Employers Council (www.msec.org) is an excellent resource for local employers. Jobing.com, in addition to its on-line presence, offers valuable career expos and workshops, matching businesses with the best local talent. The Denver Chamber of Commerce has been instrumental in attracting businesses to the metro area for 130 years (www.denverchamber.org ) and has been a wonderful way to network in a new city . I am extremely grateful for the pleasure of meeting local talented, entrepreneurial business women who understand the importance of building strong business networks, delivering excellent customer service and sharing their talent with their community. Ladies like attorney and jobing.com blogger, Laura Hazen keeping us up to date on employment law makes Denver a great place to be. There is also Angel Tuccy of Experience Pros (www.experiencepros.com), expert at customer relationship building and Sabrina Risley of Behind the Moon (www.behindthemooninc.com), helping small businesses connect. Thanks also to fellow jobing.com bloggers, Martha Finney, one of my favorite authors and Daniel Seatvet with the Accounting and Business School of the Rockies helping train Denver’s workforce. Thanks for making Denver a great place to live and work!

Take a moment to think about what you are grateful for. Who has helped you learn and grow?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Do You Live in a Place of Gratitude? - Katie Smith - Katie B. Smith

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:50:59 GMT

With Thanksgiving here this month, I thought it would be appropriate to focus on gratitude and how to become more grateful as we embark on the holidays and our job search.

When you focus on what you have rather than what is missing, you go from thinking there is not enough to realizing there is more than enough. You shift your mind from negative to positive. The universe itself is complete – nothing is missing. We create negative thoughts and a belief that there is not enough or that we don’t have enough. But by simply aligning with abundant completeness and having gratitude for what you already have, you open yourself up, attract more of what you want and experience more joy and happiness. I find when I can’t sleep at night, I start thinking of all the things I am grateful for and I fall right to sleep. Being in a place of gratitude relaxes our mind and our body. We move from our head where fear lives to our hearts where love lives. By thinking thoughts of gratitude we allow ourselves to appreciate the abundance that surrounds us.

Take the week to notice where you live in yourself. Is it in a place of not enough or in a place of gratitude and abundance? I invite you to share what techniques, words you use to move into that place in the midst of rejection letters and no response from your job search.

I invite you to honor your breath, your heart and all that you have. You are enough and you have much to offer. Remember to breathe, allow and open so that the abundance in your life can surround you and the stress and strain of your search can take a back seat for awhile.

Live Well,

Katie

Want employees to go above and beyond? Lead by example! - Nora Burns - Insightful Endeavors

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:52:32 GMT

This week I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association Conference in Colorado Springs, CO. At the annual conference, outstanding employees in the hotel & lodging industry are recognized for exceptional service in their respective areas of expertise. If you’ve traveled in Colorado you’ve likely met some of these service providers. They are the people who go out of their way to make guests feel “at home” while on the road and include bellman, concierges, reception desk staff, chefs, etc.

The evening before the award dinner I heard about one particularly outstanding employee …. Ken Wall of Doubletree Grand Junction. If memory serves correctly, Ken has worked at the property for 19 years. In that time he has not missed a single day of work, has never been late and has not been the recipient of a single disciplinary action. Ken is a “getter done” guy who is committed to exceptional service and making life easier for others.

Here’s the challenge……and the story as I heard it from several sources…..I-70, the highway leading from Grand Junction to Denver/Colorado Springs was closed. If I-70 is impassable it would be really unsafe and unwise to attempt any other way down the mountain. It looked like Ken would miss the conference….and the presentation of his award for outstanding service.

The owner of the Doubletree Grand Junction property is in the Denver area and was already at the conference. When he heard about Ken’s predicament he immediately went into action. Ken arrived later that evening…….by plane. The property owner recognized the importance of going above and beyond for Ken.…..just as Ken had gone above and beyond for so many guests over the previous 19 years.

My reaction to this story as it was relayed to me….in a word: Goosebumps.

If you want your employees to go the extra mile for your customers…..go the extra mile for them.

Are you holding yourself to the same standard you expect of all employees?

May all your Endeavors be Insightful,

Nora A Burns, SPHR

p.s. Next time I’m in Grand Junction ….. I’ll be staying at the Doubletree. They have earned my business by displaying exceptional leadership.

Tips On How to Prepare for Today's Career Expo - Andrea Hoffman - Jobing.com Community Relations - Denver

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:33:38 GMT

With thousands of job seekers expected to attend the Jobing.com Career Expo on Wednesday, November 18th, it’s important to have a job fair strategy to stand out from the competition.

• COME WITH A GREAT ATTITUDE - We know times are tough right now, but a job fairs are about first impressions. Please do not disclose personal or financial issues to the employers. They want employees who will bring a positive attitude and work ethic into their workplace.

• TREAT THE EVENT LIKE A JOB INTERVIEW - The Jobing.com Career Expo has booths staffed with HR professionals. These are the people who have a direct say in who will be hired, so treat this opportunity as a first interview. Dress professionally and come prepared to sell yourself.

• HAVE A PLAN - The Colorado Convention Center will be filled with Denver employers. It is important to use your time wisely by selecting a top 20 list of employers to visit. Research these companies and their open positions prior to the event.

• PREPARE QUESTIONS - Employers want candidates who are prepared, professional, and serious about their openings. If you ask a question that can be answered from the information on their company website, it shows you did not take the time to do your homework.

• CREATE YOUR 30 SECOND PITCH - Job fairs are not only for job seekers to learn about employers, but for employers to learn about the candidates. Be sure you can sum up what you are looking for and why you are a great candidate, concisely, in 30 seconds.

• UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS - Many organizations have applicant tracking systems in place to manage the hiring process. This means the recruiters may ask you to submit your resume online. Rather than use the career expo as a resume drop off, use it as an opportunity to get first hand information from someone who knows what it's like to work there. This way you can tailor your resume even further prior to submitting it online.

• FOLLOW-UP - Remember to collect business cards from employers you speak with! Send a hand written thank you note to all of the employers you met with. Even if a company does not have the right position for you today, they may in the near future. Always work to make a positive impression and expand your professional network. Address the conversations you had at the event in your cover letters. Remind the employer of who you are and discuss something you learned about the company from the event. This will help the employer see why you would be a great fit for the organization.

Is Attending the Career Expo Right for You? - Andrea Hoffman - Jobing.com Community Relations - Denver

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:02:26 GMT

As a job seeker in today’s economy you should be looking for every opportunity to stand out among the competition. Job fairs are a great way to meet face-to-face with hiring managers and get an edge over candidates who only apply online. With the recent spike in unemployment the dynamics of attending job fairs has dramatically changed, so how do you ensure you are using your time a job fair most efficiently? Your success at these events depends on creating a structured job fair strategy.

Be sure you are keeping a great attitude throughout the event. Remember that your first impression can make or break your chances at getting that job offer. By allowing any frustrations or discouragement to show during your conversations, you are sending the wrong message to the recruiters about what type of employee you would be. There may be many job seekers with your same skill set, and a great attitude can set you apart from your competition.

By attending the event and making a great impression on the recruiters, they will remember you when sorting through the hundreds of applications they receive.

Click here to register for the job fair