Is Employer Brand Important in Candidate Selection?

As a job seeker, one of the best things you can do is to get in the heads of recruiters, hiring managers and company leaders. If you understand why, how, and who they hire, you’re already steps ahead. This includes understanding an organization’s tools, processes and resources—everything from what happens after you submit your resume to the candidate selection and evaluation process.

However, it’s not just about the process—every company has some sort of strategy around hiring including their brand in the talent market.  Just like companies such as Apple or Coca-Cola spend millions of dollars to sell their products every, they also pour money into selling their jobs.

Definition of Employment Brand

The concept of an employment brand is an important one for companies in this competitive job market with 51% of employers saying they have an employment branding strategy in 2012 according to a recent study by Bernard Hodes.  Nineteen percent of companies surveyed admitted to re-working their current plan and another 24% are working towards one.

What does this mean for you? Employer brand. A company’s employer brand is the perception you, the job seeker, have of what it’s like to work there and the reality of that experience. It’s like walking into a big retail store. You have expectations about the products you’ll find there and the service you’ll receive. If those expectations fall short, it hurt’s that store’s consumer brand, their reputation in the marketplace. You’ll take your spending money elsewhere.

The same can be said for an organization’s employer brand. If you take a job based on the promise of challenging work, certain benefits and growth opportunities, and once you start, that promise isn’t met, it tarnishes the reputation of what it’s like to work for a company.

As a job seeker, understanding a company’s employer brand is essential to both determining if the company is the best fit for you and your success in the application and selection process. An employer brand can provide exceptional insight into an organization and the opportunity.

When companies define and communicate their employer brand, they’re focusing on what matters most to their employees and what they do well.  They connect that to their culture and to employees’ success: who performs the best in the organization and how do they think act and behave.

As a result, good employer brands clearly define the most important returns you’ll get from working there.  This includes specific benefits and perks but more importantly, the workplace lifestyle or flexible workplace.  An employer brand can help provide insight into the people, the culture

Big Brand Employment Like Zappos

For some organizations like Southwest and Zappos, this means employees like to have fun at work and embed their personalities into everything they do. For companies like Google or 3M, it’s all about innovation—employees have to have a passion for trying, creating and believing in new things.  Southwest flight attendants often tell jokes or sing songs at the beginning of a flight—this isn’t a fit for everyone. If you take a job and the fit’s not there, you’ll be asked to perform and behave in a way that’s not comfortable to you and ultimately, you won’t be happy. Really understanding a company’s employer brand helps you as a job seeker ensure you’ll fit.

Understanding employer brand also means you have a sense of what the company is looking for. What are the qualities (outside of the skills required for the job) that are an embedded part of the company’s culture? What behaviors are common in successful employees?

Take Marriott International’s employer brand line “Find Your World™.” Marriott’s not looking for passive employees that just want a paycheck.  Find Your World™ sends the message that growth and movement are encouraged among their many locations and brands. If you’re looking for upward mobility and the chance for varied challenges throughout your career, you can share that as part of the process.

Knowing how a company brand’s it’s employment experience can give you an edge up as you look for a job. You can better position yourself as a fit if you understand what matters to a company. The important point here is to make sure you don’t force it. If you have to stretch the truth about yourself or your experiences to sell yourself based on a company’s employer brand, it won’t work for you or the employer.

Job Seeker Education Key in Company Recruiting Process

As you’re learning about a company’s employer brand, keep in mind that not every organization understands the concept or does a good job of defining their own employer brand. Less sophisticated companies focus only on advertising their jobs and the associated tangible benefits that come with them (medical benefits or a flexible work schedule).

These things are important, but as a job seeker you’ll be much more successful in the long term if you think about the entirety of the opportunity—the employer brand. Consider the promise the company is making and ask yourself if that promise really matters to you. Use the brand to evaluate fit—are you the kind of person who wants to act and behave that way on the job?  If you’re in a job and not sure whether to stay, ask yourself if the organization’s employer brand resonates with you? Are they delivering on what they promised? And if so, is that the promise you want?

Understanding employer brand doesn’t have to be complicated. There’s a simple way to think about it. Take a look around your home or your workplace. As a consumer, what products can you really get behind? Where do your loyalties lie? The same goes for your next job. Choose an employer you can really get behind, believe in and support. Their employer brand holds the key to understanding just that.

Photo Credit. 

Susan Strayer is the founder of Exaqueo, a talent and brand consulting firm specializing in strategies for start-up and high-growth companies. She’s spent years recruiting and creating talent and employer brand strategies for companies like Marriott International. The Ritz-Carlton, The Home Depot and Corporate Executive Board. She’s the author of two books including The Right Job, Right Now: The Complete Tool-Kit to Finding Your Perfect Career (St. Martin’s Press). Connect with Susan via @SusanStrayer or at www.exaqueo.com. 

Business Networking Rules of Engagement

There is a no lack of networking advice or tips out there in the blogsphere today. Additionally, you can buy any number of great books by authors such at Keith Ferrazzi and Harvey Mckay. But I have been networking for a long time as well, plus I have read all this material too. So for those of you who are trying to find a job, change jobs or increase your business here are Five Rules to Make You an Effective Business Networker.  

Rule #1: Business Networking

Never start a conversation or relationship with someone by asking for something. Yes, I realize that the purpose of networking is to “get’ something, such as a referral or a name, but relationships start better if you are offering something. However, you cannot offer something unless you know the person at least a little bit. So I recommend you start off with this kind of approach.

“Hello Bob, my name is Mike H. Joe S. (the mutual friend) told me you are someone I need to know. I was wondering if I might be able to schedule a brief meeting (or call) in order to see if indeed we can be of mutual benefit to each other?”

Prior to the meeting use social media or search to find out whatever you can about the person you are meeting with. Determine if there is something in their background that might act as a target for some way you can help them with. At the meeting pay attention to what is said, who is talked about, what their background is, where they went to school or any other information that comes from the meeting. Then try to be a resource of information or contacts for that individual.

You will probably shock the person big time by not asking for a name or referral right off the bat. It will be even more memorable if you can offer the person something of value as a result of that first meeting.

Rule #2:  Target Your Networking 

Be focused and targeted in your networking. The shotgun approach of calling everyone and contacting everyone with no seeming purpose just makes you look desperate. Now you may be desperate, but you do not want to come across that way. Understand what you are trying to learn from each individual and why you are contacting them.

Rule #3:  Social Networks are Not Business Networking

Realize that networking is NOT adding someone on LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ or Facebook. Networking is best conducted person to person, or at least voice to voice. The tools help your research and they facilitate the introduction but that is not networking.

Rule #4:  Your Networking Success is Your Responsibility 

No one is going to take responsibility for you finding a job or finding a new piece of business. You have to take that. So when you are done with meeting someone their memory will fade very fast. Set up a schedule of contact with them and follow up. Watch for information that they will find of value and send it to them. Set up a Google alert or search on key words to notify you of things that your contact may find valuable. You don’t have to do that for everyone, but the very important ones need to get things from you to remind them of your existence.

Rule #5:  Be Realistic Yet Effective Business Networking 

Be confident but be realistic. Another writer cautioned against trying to reach too high in order to make a contact. It is unlikely that you will be able to connect with Bill Gates, or Donald Trump, or Richard Branson or other mega personalities but that doesn’t mean you should give up hope of reaching someone that has title of President or Vice President. Who knows, perhaps you would eventually be able to reach a superstar if your network gets you there but start more realistically.

There is a ton of networking articles out there, some written for women, some written for shy people, some written for sales people, some written for consultants, etc. Just do a search and do some learning to get started on effective business networking.

Photo Credit. 

 Michael (Mike) D. Haberman, SPHR is a consultant, writer, speaker, teacher and co-founder of Omega HR Solutions, Inc.  He has been in the field of HR for 30 years as both practitioner and consultant. He specializes in compliance issues for his small business clients. He is the author of the blog HR Observations which can be found at www.omegahrsolutions.com and he has been writing blog posts on a full spectrum of HR topics for almost seven years. He is an active user of Twitter and can be found at @mikehaberman or @HRComplianceGuy. He has been an instructor in HR for 14 years and has helped many people achieve their PHR or SPHR during that time.

The Triumph of the Human Spirit

Many years ago, I sat in a 200-level English class studying different forms of story-telling.  Two class sessions were spent time on the 1997 Andrew Niccol film Gattaca starring Ethan Hawke, Jude Law, and Uma Thurman. This sci-fi drama quickly became one of my all-time favorites, not so much because of its science fiction content but more so for the triumph of the human spirit and brilliant performances.

The Genome Project

The film was highlighted in this class because of the conversations its subject was sure to invoke and provoke.  Addressing the issue of DNA and the human genome project, the film portrayed the concept that one’s DNA should determine the course of one’s life and career. Individuals were tested at birth and even prior to birth to determine the “type of raising” required.  For instance, if the bodily make-up of an infant showed a high percentage for even the potential of heart disease or other affliction, the determined course of their life would lead them away from anything that would cause strain on the heart or other weak organ/function.

There was much animated discussion among the students in my class, as opinions were shared and, interestingly enough, rationally listened to.  We each had to write lengthy research papers citing sources and revealing even deeper opinions.  This only further cementing my own conclusions…

These types of career-fit determinations undermine the whole recruitment process.  Instead of a phone interview, you request a finger prick to ascertain DNA and, ultimately, the future.  Instead of an on-site interview, an agility test.  Instead of IQ or skill testing, a DNA bank will be cross-checked to find perfect placements.  Interview questions will no longer be necessary, as all the answers will be revealed on a microscope slide.

That would be a sick and sad world.

When free will is removed, motivation to do well or strive for more is squelched because limitations are set and understood. Can your DNA show whether or not you are suitable for a specific job? What about company fit and potential culture clashes?

Limitations do just that: limit.

When capabilities are restricted, potential is never reached.  Heart and determination have to count for something.  Personality and ability to be team player are rich unfindables on a microscope slide.

It is far more complicated than a simple blood test, yet far more simple than a strand of DNA.

“There is no gene for the human spirit.” - Andrew Niccol, Gattaca

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

Searching for the Next Career Expert

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks since I have announced the purchase of the online community, Secrets of the Job Hunt.  Over the next few weeks, you will begin to see some small changes to the site at www.secretsofthejobhunt.com. Next week, I have a survey launching for our current members to learn more about them and what they want from the experts and other job seekers at Secrets of the Job Hunt.  The site will always remain free to job seekers and will provide value to those who are active or passively looking for work by providing them insights into the job search from the perspective of the recruiter, company, hiring manager, and job seeker.

But to provide job seekers insights, we need experts who are willing to post an original blog post at least once a week on the site and spend one hour on the forum as we grow asking questions and dispelling knowledge and advice to the job seeker and community member.  Selected experts will receive their content featured, promoted on Twitter, and special placement in our soon to be launching newsletter as well as top mention in our expert blog roll.

Enter Now and Help Put America Back to Work

I am launching a “Search for the Expert.”  To be considered, please click on the entry form below and include your information.  We will be accepting applications until May 1, 2012, and an announcement will be made on May 15th, 2012.

Please contact me if you have any questions either by contacting me here or by phone at 405.293.2564.  As always you can tweet me directly on Twitter, @blogging4jobs. Thank you for your past, present, and future contributions to the Secrets of the Job Hunt community.

Photo Credit.

VOTC, WOTC, & The American Jobs Act

If you are a HR professional, or responsible for hiring at your organization, chances are that you are familiar with WOTC or the Work Opportunity Tax Credit.  This tax credit is common for companies to receive when they hire job seekers who have received government assistance.  Last year, Obama signed into law a different type of tax credit for Veterans and military what is referred to as the VOTC or the Veterans Opportunity Tax Credit.  Also know as the Returning Heroes Tax Credit, it is designed to for companies to receive a tax credit of up to $5,600 per veteran.  The Wounded Warriors Tax Credit is another piece of this program.  Companies who hire disabled veterans can receive a maximum credit of $9,600 per veteran.  These are all pieces of the American Jobs Act which was signed into law November 21, 2011.

While programs like the American Jobs Act are important, recruiters, hiring managers, and military members have a hard time understanding as well as articulating the job experiences and skills of a soldier.  Not sure what I mean?  Here’s the inside scoop.

Job Descriptions VS The MOS… What’s an MOS?

The military has job titles that are codes called MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). There are plenty of sites on the web that can translate these job specialties from military lingo to English and tell you the jobs for which veterans would be best suited. This has raised the question, “Is that the employer’s responsibility, or the responsibility of the applicant to do this research?” My answer is both. If businesses want to tap into the overlooked and under-employed veteran market, they should conduct some research and know which veterans to target. On the flip side of that coin, veterans should know that civilians don’t speak in acronyms. They should research their own MOS and translate it on a resume in order to find companies that require those skills. Too easy.

Don’t Overlook the Implied Responsibilities

Implied responsibilities are included in every job, from accountability of equipment to training of subordinates and risk management. The military loves to get the most out of their tax dollars. Here is one great reference where responsibilities are broken down by job (MOS) and position. For example, my duty description is below:

25F Node Center Supervisor

Serves as a Node Center Supervisor in a tactical Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) area signal platoon supporting the Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC); responsible for the readiness and accountability of 18 tactical vehicles, 12 MSE assemblages and 12 power generation units all valued in excess of $11,000,000 dollars; responsible for the health, welfare, training, morale and professional development of two Non-Commissioned Officers and seven Soldiers.

From this, you can derive that I am responsible for a ton of expensive equipment, two supervisors and seven employees. Easy as pie, right? But take a look at the last responsibility: “responsible for… professional development…” Where else is a leader required to groom his or her subordinates? How amazing is it to have a built-in system so if someone leaves an organization, he or she has groomed another employee to take his or her place? Just a little food for thought to digest.

Background Check Made Easy: Without Upsetting Department of Homeland Security

Not every veteran has a good record. Let’s be honest. There are always a few bad apples in every bunch (or a few bad recruiters that recruited the wrong person to don the uniform, but we won’t go there… yet). Getting any information about a prospective candidate from the military is a slow process. Have you ever seen how fast pond water moves?  That’s about the equivalent.  How exactly do you complete a background check for a veteran that left the service from Japan, Italy, Germany or any of the other bases around the world? That’s a simple fix – ask for his or her discharge paperwork (DD-214 federal service or NGB-22 National Guard Service) and get educated on how to read it here. These documents contain Reenlistment Eligibility Codes (or RE Codes) that say why that veteran was discharged, and if the military would take him or her back. It is safe to say that if a candidate has an RE-4 (negative discharge code), some additional questions should be asked – and you should trust your instincts. Veterans should also make sure that they have copies of this paperwork. If they lose it, they can get copies here.

This small amount of information can open doors to a whole world of candidates that have been passed over time and time again. As a country, we should find a way to reach out to our veteran community, but many employers haven’t made the effort. Join me in the fight to decrease unemployment among our veterans and get them back to work.

Photo Credit. 

Arron Daniels is a guest contributor to Blogging4Jobs.  He is a Sourcing Specialist and Recruiter at Insperity as well as a Platoon Sergeant with the Texas Army National Guard.   Arron is extremely passionate about helping Veterans find work.  You can connect with him on LinkedIn or on Twitter, @arron_daniels.

For Job Seekers: Online Job Search Tips & Advice

According to a study done in 2011 by Jobvite, 95% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find new talent. But unless you understand the recruiting industry as it is set up today, that statistic doesn’t mean much. Recruiting has two functions; sourcing and screening. In some organizations these two activities are done by the same people. In larger companies, these are separated out. The sourcing recruiter, or researcher, performs advanced searches on Google, LinkedIn and other resume depositories, in order to build a list.

Next, the screening recruiter takes the best of that list through a procedure, usually starting with a phone call to determine interest. In many cases, if you simply show up online in all the right places with all the right content, you will be found.
The old way of thinking about finding a job was actually quite simple. Wait for a job opening, then submit a resume. These days, organizations are looking for candidates long before jobs open up.

Talent Communities as a Corporate Recruiting & Social Media Tool

In fact, many organizations are starting “talent communities” which is a database of candidates who’ve shown interest in their company, but are not attached to a specific job yet. In talent communities organizations have a chance to start building a relationship with you. And you are given an opportunity to disclose more about who you are and what you’re interested in. Then when jobs do open up, they simply look at their talent community and send emails out to their top prospects. Jobs don’t need to be posted on job boards anymore. So if you are sitting around waiting for openings, you’re missing the boat.

Talent communities are starting to be built through social media channels as well. Very often you can join a talent community by linking a Facebook or LinkedIn account. At VMware, they build talent communities by engaging in dialogue over Twitter and Facebook. Candidates who talk to them the most over these channels tend to have first opportunity to apply to actual jobs. Furthermore, companies like Price Waterhouse Cooper, have integrating Google-searching candidates as part of their standard operating procedure in order to determine fit. And in case you are wondering, yes, this is all completely legal. In 2011, the FTC set a precedent by approving social media’s use in employment background checks. So if you are sitting around waiting for job openings, you are probably missing 80% of the real opportunities out there. Instead of trolling job boards, start building relationships with your target organizations online.

Online Job Search Strategy Starts with All Social Media Channels

While the use of social media as part of the corporate background check coupled with internet sourcing and social media talent communities, job seekers can begin by building an online presence going beyond LinkedIn building a professional profile on social media.    Sites like Google+ but also by demonstrating their areas of expertise through a blog or publishing content and thought leadership on online communities, industry blogs, and more traditional news outlets.  The key is to start small because building an online job search strategy takes time, fortitude and patience.  Afterall, it’s a marathon not a race to the job search finish line.

Joshua Waldman is a guest blogger at Blogging4Jobs and is an author of Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies, is a career advancement specialist helping people use social media to go from good jobs to great careers.  He’s blogging on CareerEnlightenment.com or working out at the gym. Check him out on Twitter @joshuawaldman.