More Skydiving: Adventures in Employer Branding with the U.S. Army
September 21, 2010
There’s anybody-can-do-it skydiving . . . and then there’s “Army Strong” skydiving. Just take a look at the illustration on the right for an example of that second category!
Here’s the photo caption:
At a zero angle of attack, better known as a “No Lift Dive,” Sgt. 1st Class Cheryl Stearns, from the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights, holds her position to build enough air speed to execute the “style set” in a competitive amount of time.
Even for someone (like me) who definitely plans not to jump out of a plane for recreational purposes, this description sounds pretty thrilling. And it paints a vivid picture of the challenges and achievements offered by an Army career.
A recent post on Top Rank’s Online Marketing blog describes how the Golden Knights are making skilled use of social media. The GK media gurus invited Top Rank CEO Lee Odden, along with a few other “digerati types,” to make a jump with the Golden Knights—and his account of the experience is great reading, both for armchair adventurers and for HR marketers.
In addition to this clever outreach strategy, the GK organization hits all the social media marks, with its own blog, YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitterstream, and Flickr gallery. There’s also a Golden Knights section on ArmyStrongStories, where “Soldiers, Cadets and Veterans of every rank, background and MOS are invited to share their unfiltered perspective on daily life in the military.” The varied materials work together across all these channels to create a strong impression of challenge and reward—exactly the message the Army wants to convey. And the emphasis on video really strengthens the effect.
All in all, the Golden Knights offer a great example of how to dramatize and distribute a career story.
Still haven’t had enough skydiving thrills? Visit www.skydive-tv.com for videos of the 2010 USPA competition. And last—here’s a less-thrilling but totally on-topic blog post from skydiving HR pro Trevor Nagle, SPHR: Leadership and Skydiving: Lessons in Informed Risk-Taking.
(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army. Caption by Cpl. Sean Capogreco.)
This Is a Post about Skydiving
September 17, 2010
Actually, it’s a post about the idea of skydiving—and why the word “skydiving” grabs attention so effectively. I’m thinking about this topic because the following subject line appeared in one of my inboxes:
What skydiving can teach you about attracting clients
I was intrigued! Maybe (I thought) something about conquering fear would create a new level of self-confidence. And that would be attractive to potential clients. Or the exhilaration of the experience would enhance charisma, and that would be attractive to potential clients.
Either of those things might possibly happen, but as it turned out, the email wasn’t actually about lessons from skydiving as applied to client attraction. The point of the email was: by relying on expert guidance from the instructor and on the rigorous safety system provided for the event, the author was able to do something (i.e., jump out of an airplane) she couldn’t have done alone. The email was really an invitation to purchase expert guidance and learn a system for attracting clients.
However! This is not a post about deceptive or disappointing emails. I get dozens of emails daily, all from sources (including the skydiver) that I’ve opted into; many of the emails are mildly deceptive/disappointing, but I keep their sources in the mix in case they bring something interesting to my attention. Most of each day’s mail I don’t even open because I’m pretty sure the content won’t be interesting or informative. I opened this one because it had a persuasive gimmick: a “hook” that grabbed my attention.
One way to create a hook is to suggest an unexpected relationship—for example, skydiving + clients. Another way is to reference one of the topics that appeal to our reptile brains—something about security, sex, power, et cetera. And now that I notice, the word “attracting” in the skydiving email is actually one of the things that makes the subject line work so well. (“What skydiving can teach you about getting clients” just isn’t as effective.)
A third component of the irresistible subject line is a buzzword of some kind. Which brings us back to the allure of skydiving, and why it catches attention. At a very basic level, skydiving seems like something that takes courage, but it’s also something that anyone could do if they decided to. We even hear about centenarians who celebrate by taking a dive–so in some ways it seems like the ultimate rite of passage. Plus there’s the romance of floating through clouds and the lure of the adrenalin rush . . .
Believe it or not—we’re just halfway through this topic. So come back for Skydiving Part 2: Adventures in Employer Branding with the U.S. Army.
(Thanks to joebaz for the great skydiver shot!)
July Wrap-up
August 4, 2010
Summer slowed down the posting for Careers in July, so this month the Wrap-up offers a few items that didn’t make it online.
A Note about Certifications
There’s a long-standing debate about whether certifications have real, practical importance. Does professional certification increase someone’s worth in the marketplace—or is it mainly a source of revenue for the certification provider? (Check out this lively international discussion for multiple perspectives on IT certification.)
From the individual’s perspective, there are some good reasons to consider certification:
- Preparing for exams provides the chance to review information, assess strengths and weaknesses, and maybe even learn something new.
- Passing exams and obtaining a certification can be a confidence booster. Success feels good!
- On the other side of the coin, failing an exam could be a needed wake-up call for folks who have been overestimating their skill level.
Although having a certification won’t magically double your market value or ensure a promotion—those initials after your name actually may add a little heft to business cards and resumes.
So for those who can afford the time/effort/money, and don’t expect a miracle, certification can make sense. Unfortunately—no certifications available yet for Brilliant Online Corporate Careers Communication. But until the BOCCC comes along, there’s the PHR (Professional in Human Relations) and the SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Relations) from the HR Certification Institute. Visit their blog for a further view into the details.
Revisiting Disability
Recently, the USA marked an anniversary: twenty years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For some reflections on the accomplishments since then—along with the gaps that still exist—listen to an NPR conversation: 20 Years After ADA, Accessibility Remains ‘An Evolutionary Process’. There’s a transcript too.
And for a global perspective, check out the website provided by the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission. Three good reasons to visit:
- A colorful and creative design
- A summary of the Equality Act 2010, as well as a full-text PDF
- A guide to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD), as well as full-text versions
An Interesting Survey . . .
I’ve just browsed through a new survey being conducted by Aberdeen’s Human Capital Management practice. I did not answer the questions, since I’m not in their target demographic—but I did get some ideas by reading the questions, so there will be a post in the future. Meanwhile, see for yourself. The survey is online for another week or so, and the results will be out in October.
(Many thanks to elbfoto for the “beautiful rose.”)
Phenomenal Facebook, Part 2: Corporate Recruiting
August 2, 2010
Global powerhouse Ernst & Young was the first major employer to implement a full-scale Facebook recruiting strategy. That was at the beginning of 2007—and by September of 2008 (according to a story posted on Attracting Talent) their FB Careers page had 18,000 “fans.” A year later (according to our own Facebook basics story), that number had almost doubled.
And today? 48,029 People Like the EY Careers page.
That’s a lot of folks. In fact, about one-third the total number of people already employed by EY. Among the Facebook fans are former EY interns and employees, as well as people who want to know more about opportunities at Ernst & Young.
As explained in the EY FAQ:
Facebook allows us to share the EY experience with people who are interested in the firm, and creates a way for interns and employees to stay in touch with one another. The group provides a forum for people to share their questions, experiences, and comments regarding the Firm, and we can let you know when we’re coming to your campus for “Meet the Firms” nights, career fairs, on-campus interviews and other events.
Visitors to the EY Careers page will find an Updates tab (with news and useful information), as well as tabs dedicated to the specific interests of students and experienced professionals. On the Wall tab, people post (usually) relevant questions about EY opportunities and (sometimes) get answers.
There are no job postings—the Facebook version of EY careers is focused on showing off the employer brand, and on creating engagement. And it’s engagement approach is so successful that I actually wanted to look around, even though I’m about as far away from an interest in accounting as it’s possible to get.
Ernst & Young is hands-down the poster child of corporate recruiting on Facebook. So are there any other good examples out there? Judge for yourself by visiting:
Hyatt Hotels and Resorts Careers
Up next in the Phenomenal Facebook series: Enabling Facebook recruiting.
If You’ve Got It—Flaunt It!
July 26, 2010
Recently, the Boston advertising agency Conover Tuttle Pace started its second annual Summer Sublet desk swap. As reported by the Boston Globe, the Summer Sublet is a combination lottery/draft, in which employees maneuver their way to better quarters for a month. This year’s big winner traded his spot in the communal workspace for the president’s glass-walled corner office–complete with TV and a garden view
Summer Sublet requires everyone, from the newbies to the bosses, to sit in a different place until Labor Day. As a small company (just 35 employees), Conover Tuttle Pace is in a position to move folks around without too much hassle, and obviously, this kind of exercise would be logistically impossible in a big corporation. But Summer Sublet is a playful idea that stimulates cross-functional interaction by mixing up the creative types, the techies, and the execs in new ways. According Amara Bassiri, the company’s “workflow, wellness, and broadcast guru,” an “exchange of ideas happens organically.”
When the Boston Globe wrote up the Sublet caper, Conover Tuttle Pace swiftly put a big link to the story on their company’s home page. (That’s it in the post illustration.) Which brings us to the point: This is a knockout story for their employer brand.
Again—this particular idea would not translate easily to a corporate milieu. But there are plenty of clever, creative activities going on in big companies, and as a rule they are not exploited. A few typical reasons:
- The Careers/Jobs section is in a silo, not integrated with overall PR and marketing efforts.
- The PR and marketing folks don’t pay much attention to employer branding.
- The Careers/Jobs section is focused on job posting and application gathering, with only sporadic attention to the employer brand.
- The Careers/Jobs section is updated infrequently, and may have no easy way to add newsy items.
Takeaway: The (very) slightly more relaxed pace of summer offers a good opportunity to find out about innovative ideas and activities in your company. Even if there is no currently convenient way to report these activities on the corporate website, they make great blog posts, and can be included in social media—Facebook loves this type of item, especially if there are photos. And “cool” stories provide an opportunity for recruiters to tweet something other than routine job postings.
To see fun done right, it’s always worth stopping by Southwest Airlines. Check out the SWA Facebook page.
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