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.
Phenomenal Facebook
July 22, 2010
I am (at last) getting into Facebook. For some reason, Twitter made sense to me immediately, while Facebook has remained largely a mystery. But after a few weeks of floundering around, I’m starting to understand a little better.
Biggest help: Oddly enough, a talk by David Kirkpatrick on BookTV. Kirkpatrick (formerly senior technology editor at Fortune magazine) is the author of The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company that is Connecting the World, which came out just a few weeks ago in the US, and will soon arrive in a UK edition.
Needless to say, The Facebook Effect has its own Facebook page, where you can read an excerpt, watch an interview, and (of course) “like” the book. More than 5,000 likers so far, and the book is well-ranked on Amazon niche lists for E-Commerce (#3) and Company Profiles (#7). In addition to an in-depth retelling of the well-known dorm-to-dominance story of Facebook’s creation/evolution, Kirkpatrick provides thoughtful analysis that applies not only to Facebook, but to the whole social media landscape.
The second biggest help in my Facebook education was stumbling over what I now think of as the “friend tripwire.” As an individual, you can plunk along for quite a while just adding friends occasionally for some seemingly good reason. Then–you add one well-connected activist, and you find yourself with a generous pile of recommendations and requests. (If you open the door at this point, you need to understand about lists . . . )
So all of a sudden, I began to think of Facebook as something like a fractal generator—i.e., a self-similar replicating system that creates intricate patterns. From a slightly different perspective, it’s like a complex system organizing itself in response to initial conditions (“me”) and various attractors (“friends”).
If that works for you, happy to be of service! But if not it doesn’t matter, because probably everyone finds their own point of entry for Facebook, and no one really needs to think of it beyond the practical applications anyway. Which brings us to the real point: Facebook for recruiting.
In 2008, there was a lot of hype around “Facebook for recruiting,” and companies like Jobing and Appirio introduced apps and services to build out that potential. So far, however, these approaches have not seen spectacular success in performance or adoption . . .
So how is Facebook being used effectively to find talent? That turns out to be a longer story, so stay tuned for two more installments: Corporate Recruiting via Facebook (with a useful case study) and Recruiters on Facebook (with some interesting examples).
(And yes, that’s a lovely Julia set, shared by Eequor.)
Summer Fun
July 16, 2010
Summer isn’t really less fraught than the rest of the year, but we keep on thinking there’s more time to play during the warmer months . . .
In the spirit of the season, here are a few ideas that have (or at least could have) something to do with careers/recruiting/work/job, with a little fun in the bargain:
- Catch up on your reading. If you haven’t already followed last year’s Summer Reading suggestions—why not now? And add to the list Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success, a quirky look at what works—and what matters—in today’s employment environment. Some chapter titles to give you the flavor: First-Time Managers Do Not Need to Suck; Sex Discrimination Is Everywhere, So Don’t Try To Run; and Getting a Promotion Is So Last Century.
- Start your own blog. Seriously. TypePad is super-friendly, offers dozens of great designs, and gives you a 30-day free trial or even a free microblog. WordPress also has a free version. Don’t think about it in terms of an audience–blogging is a great way to talk to yourself!—but if you want to do something more in the professional line, you can start your own blog on ere.net with almost no effort. (Extra motivation: ere.net bloggers can compete during July to win an iPad.)
- Get some business cards. No, not those dull ones you already have a box of. Some really great ones from MOO. MOO offers a wonderful array of designs, or you can upload your own images—and every card in your order can have a different design if you want to go nuts. These cards really do grab attention, so they are worth the small investment. Use them to invent an extra/alternative version of yourself, start that freelance thing you’ve been thinking about, or add some snap to your professional image.
- Organize your life. That’s a big one—but hope springs eternal, so if you’ve already run the gamut of time management methods with no luck, the Pomodoro Technique may be just what you’re looking for. All you need is one of those kitchen timers that looks like a tomato, plus a free ebook from the Pomodoro website. You’ll either love it or hate it, but you’ll get some fun from the try-out. And some people say this method worked for them when nothing else did. (Pomodoro is Italian for “tomato,” by the way.)
Enjoy! And if you guessed that today’s illustration is from the 1804 edition of Youthful Sports, give yourself ten points.
The June Wrap-up: Spotlight on BP
July 7, 2010
The standout story of June was British Petroleum’s handling of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. “Careers” Meets Crisis, posted at the beginning of June, noted that BP’s Careers page remained unchanged more than a month after the crisis began. Not only was there no mention of the spill, the “Featured job category” highlight extolled opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico.
A month later, the featured job category is IT. But nothing else on the page has been added or updated to address the ongoing Gulf crisis. Similarly, nothing has been added or updated since the spill on BP’s Environment and Society page—which seems like an even bigger disconnect.
However, a few changes have been made to the corporate site.
- The Gulf Response tab, which was put in place soon after the crisis began, is now more tightly organized, focusing on technical and practical issues. The level of detail on this page conveys much more effectively the seriousness of BP’s efforts.
- Some of the content originally shown on the Gulf Response tab is now on the landing page—so users who navigate directly to the site by typing www.bp.com into their browsers (or clicking on a sponsored link) will see Gulf-related material immediately. The page begins with a large photo feature that depicts people at work: cleaning sand, pointing at maps, rescuing birds, etc.
- Also on the BP landing page: videos about the company’s good intentions and positive efforts, along with information links (both contact information and news stories). Overall, the page has a slightly positive spin, but not a pronounced “PR” flavor.
- On the Investors page, a headline feature leads readers to the “Chairman’s letter to shareholders.” That’s the only reference.
In reality, people looking for information on the Gulf spill don’t make a beeline for the BP site. Traffic statistics show that the majority of searchers proceed to stories from the Huffington Post, the New York Times, or other news sources. But people looking for a job at BP are very likely to go to the corporate site—and the impression created there will matter to some job-seekers.
BP has made some moves into social media in the meantime, with a decent Twitter performance, a YouTube channel, and a Facebook page. However their YouTube effort drew criticism because comments were not allowed for the first few weeks, and on Facebook comments are only allowed from those who have “Liked” BP. These policies don’t seem to improve impressions of the company . . . .
A hat-tip to Fran Melmed, whose comment on our original story included the idea that BP could feature positive comments and stories from Gulf Coast employees on their Careers page. (Fran tuned in to the BP/Careers story early with a hard-hitting post on her blog.)
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