Archive for December, 2008

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Let’s Meet

10 December, 2008

We’ve all tried to schedule meetings with colleagues who have busy schedules

If you’re all on the same calendar system – and everyone updates their schedule – it might not be too painful. If not you can play email tag for days, and by the time it’s resolved someone’s availability has changed. But there’s a very simple way to find the right time for everyone to meet.

Doodle creates a simple poll, you send people the link, and they specify when they’re available – one function allows them to also specify when they are potentially available and definitely not available.

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The poll automatically totals the responses per time and it’s really easy to see the best time – even with a long list of participants.

I’m using this tool for one project with participants from two busines units of our company and two external suppliers – setting meetings is now easy. A doodle in fact.

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Job Applications via Video

8 December, 2008

If companies could use videos as part of the job ads, couldn’t they also use it as part of the recruitment process? As an employer would you believe a CV stating “Proven Sales Skills” or a video clip of the candidate giving her best sales pitch?

Actually this isn’t at all original – it was done 50 years ago by Milt Grant. See if your candidates can beat this pitch.

Wouldn’t it help you in the selection process if you could see people in action before hiring them for certain roles? You could watch a chef, view a presenter, see a sales pitch, an interview, a demonstration of their motor repair skills, a sample of their film direction work…. I’m sure there are others. It could be time consuming so maybe it’s for your shortlisted applicants rather than the hundreds of applicants.

If Milt Grant didn’t inspire you, surely the muppets will.

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Using Videos to Recruit

4 December, 2008

What if companies used videos to recruit?

Most recruiting sites are pretty boring. Even the world leader monsterboard is all about function rather than attracting talent. Yet recruiting talented people is tough.

The standard process consists of a CV casting the best possible light on the candidate being sent in response to an advertisement written by HR for a job they may not understand.

If the candidate is lucky enough to proceed to the interview a big part of the assessment – on both sides – is whether there’s a ‘fit’ between the candidate and the team. Or more particularly the candidate and the manager.

So what if the job ad included a video?

Hi I’m Chris Smith, I could be your next manager, I’m looking for someone with a background in finance, who speaks English and French, who’s attentive to detail…. These people here could be your new colleagues…. and this is where you could be working.

Assuming the manager has some personality (which might be the big downfall in the plan!) this could be a more appealing way of marketing your company to potential talent – rather than the generic videos seen on HR sites.

Employers need to market to the YouTube generation. I haven’t seen it started anywhere yet.

Posted in HR, video | Tagged | 1 Comment »

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Blogging for Companies

2 December, 2008

Blogging is maturing into a communications tool for companies, you know when a solid company like General Electric start blogging it’s entering the mainstream.

Or is it?

I was at a conference recently when a woman, who had mentioned the low-key, humble nature of her company’s business culture went on to lament that she couldn’t get her senior executives to blog. They were too worried that there might be a negative reaction. Company Blogs
Innocent
Nuts about Southwest
Fast Lane – General Motors
Direct2Dell
GE Reports

The most successful individual bloggers have tons of personality, something to say, and chase controversy rather than fear it. Companies need to think the same way when setting up a blog.

Innocent and Southwest blogs both shine with personality, both are companies that have a certain amount of fun in their image and both have exploited that. Both use writers from around the company, rather than simply assigning a top exec. Both blogs are fun to read.

Dell sees blogging – including interacting with key blogs that follow the company – as an opportunity. They might have started a bit bumpily but their outreach to bloggers has earned them respect.

Fast Lane from General Motors shows great understanding of their target audience – they are talking to someone.

Of those listed above only GE Reports fails in my view. Lots of good video, but it reads as if it’s written by their corporate communications team, as an extension of their press function. But it’s early days yet, the blog is only two months old so perhaps it will develop.

If you want to start blogging at your company look for someone with personality, who has an interesting role, who has something to say.

This probably won’t be your executives whose days are filled with meetings, who may be bound by closeout regulations around the publications of figures, and whose most interesting tasks may be commercially sensitive.

Instead look into your sponsoring, marketing, product development or corporate responsibility teams.

Your executives might not be the best people to blog for your company

Your executives might not be the best people to blog for your company

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