December 2008 Blog Posts (16)

Newby to the HR Industry

Hello,

I'm new to the HR Industry, I'm wondering if any of you pros can give me tips on how to get my foot in the door as an HR professional. I'm a recent graduate of LeTourneau University with my MBA in HR Management and I'm finding it hard to get any call backs or interview for any positions that I apply for. Can someone guide me in the right direction.

Thanks

Added by Wonda Jackson on December 30, 2008 at 6:45pm — 3 Comments

Successfactors of a Leader – Remembering Names

Sometimes back I wrote a post ‘What’s in the name? SuccessFactors for HR‘ where I mentioned the special skill of an HR manager who knows every employee by name. How to Win Friends and Influence People While I was reviewing a new feature in the software EmpXtrack, called…

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Added by Gireesh Sharma on December 29, 2008 at 2:00am — No Comments

America's Best Leaders 2008

U.S.News & World Report and the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University just published their list of America's Best Leaders.

The honorees were selected by a…

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Added by Dan McCarthy on December 20, 2008 at 9:02am — No Comments

How About a “Market” for Employee Benefits?

In most of my client assignments, I get opporutnities to interact with employees during one-on-one interviews and focus groups. I try to understand their points of view about the organization they work for. Inevitably, compensation & benefits comes up as a discussion point. And no suprises here - nobody seems to be satisfied with what they get. Not only do I see people dissatisfied with their compensation, but the mix of benefits (insurance, retirements, vacation time, medical leaves etc.)… Continue

Added by Abhishek Mittal on December 18, 2008 at 9:49pm — No Comments

PTO vs. Traditional Vacation/Sick Day Policies

I began working in my current position about a year ago. When I began working as the Director of HR, my focus was on starting recruitment and internship programs that would attract design engineers and project managers for the construction industry. I feel that these programs have been successful thus far and though the economy is taking what seems like daily hits, we are still interviewing and hiring excellent candidates. Now that these programs are in place my focus has shifted to other… Continue

Added by Adam Ingber on December 16, 2008 at 5:13pm — No Comments

The Managerial Rub-Off Effect

I have been musing about the “managerial rub-off effect” for a long time. Essentially, the hypothesis is that if you have a great manager, it would have a positive rub-off on you, and you would manage your team well in turn. What it means is sub-cultures get easily created within an organization by managers and there could be positive and negative aspects to it based on how managers manage. Here is a simple matrix to explain what I am talking about:…

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Added by Abhishek Mittal on December 15, 2008 at 12:12am — No Comments

The Bane of Sytems / Processes

I came across this picture in one of the forwarded messages in my inbox and it reminded me of situations employees find themselves in so often.

To me, this picture depicts situations where companies burden themselves and their employees with cumbersome processes / tools for simple tasks. Don’t all of us agree that many of the organizations we work with have a little too much of systems / processes and tools? 10 forms for joining the… Continue

Added by Abhishek Mittal on December 14, 2008 at 11:08pm — No Comments

Bad economy? Retain your talent! www.OurTimeToAct.com

As we continue to get unpleasant economic news and predictions, more and more leaders and organizations are starting to think seriously about the actions they can take to be more financially resilient in the coming year. I have written before about how and why diversity and inclusion represent great value to organizations, and… Continue

Added by Joe Gerstandt on December 13, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Education Deficit

A deficit of $1 trillion dollars. It actually scares me to think about what that means for our future. And even more, the future of my kids, and their kids.

And after seeing this, I wonder if we have thought very much about what we are teaching our children?

Added by Michael VanDervort on December 11, 2008 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Cloud Computing, Vendor Hype, Rants, and HR

Along with the growing cloud-computing hype is growing push back along the lines that cloud-computing is merely a new way for vendors to pitch the same offerings wrapped up in the latest buzzword. Shally Steckerl, a recruiting strategist and consultant, delivers a blistering post along these lines on ERE.net.

It is easy to sympathize with Shalley and other users of HR services who see new… Continue

Added by Chuck Allen on December 10, 2008 at 11:00am — No Comments

Are you an expert or a beginner?

From Our Time To Act:

I may be a bit odd. It is actually quite likely. But one thing that has always seemed strange to me is our level of deference to “experts.” I understand that experts become known as such for a reason and I appreciate the value of advanced educations, years of experience and unique insight. While certainly valuable, I believe that the significance of expertise is greatly over-rated. Experts still make… Continue

Added by Joe Gerstandt on December 10, 2008 at 10:03am — No Comments

Help a Job Seeker and Win a $6k Prize Package from HP

In case you've all missed it, today is the last day to sign up for One Day, One Job's HP Magic Giveaway Contest. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on the post telling us how you've helped someone in his or her job search.

The prize package includes:

Hardware

HP TouchSmart IQ816 PC

HP HDX 18 series Premium Notebook PC

HP MediaSmart Connect

HP… Continue

Added by Willy Franzen on December 9, 2008 at 11:30am — No Comments

Good reading...

I am a book guy, reading is my hobby and has been for a long time. I love good fiction, but read mostly non-fiction. Thought I might recommend some of the better books that I have read recently for those that might be looking for some holiday reading. Most of what I read tends to relate to organizational behavior, leadership, etc...here it goes:

1.) You may have heard of this guy before...

I just finished reading… Continue

Added by Joe Gerstandt on December 8, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

Do your rewards motivate or else!

During one of my conversation with a CEO of a start-up company the discussion turned towards Compensation Planning to motivate employees, especially the talented ones. It was agreed that the most talented ones need a continuous motivation to maintain their momentum. During the discussion, the CEO narrated one of his bad experiences about one of his…

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Added by Gireesh Sharma on December 4, 2008 at 9:51am — No Comments

The Cloud Computing Meme, APIs, and HR

The non-profit National Bureau of Economic Research officially announced on Monday what everyone has known for a long time - that the U.S. economy is in a recession. As the economy and stock market spiraled downward over the past year, at least one thing on the rise was "Cloud Computing" as a technology meme. (Of course, the phrase "technology meme" is favored since it sounds so much better than "hype" ;-> ) As is the case… Continue

Added by Chuck Allen on December 3, 2008 at 6:30pm — No Comments

Expert Insight at No Cost to You!

The following article is written by Jack Thomas, Guest Blogger and Author of our Nifty 50 Series. The excerpt is from an interview with the head of a local University. The source has asked to remain anonymous to avoid any response directly to their institution. We of course have granted this request, and hope you find the advice as insightful as we have.

Interview tips from Leaders in Business

1. What are some of the most common mistakes you see in the… Continue

Added by Todd Moss on December 3, 2008 at 1:30pm — No Comments