Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Employer Branding Best Practices

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Employer Branding Best Practices Ten years ago, employer branding wasn’t even on the radar of organizational psychologists. But after a Society for Human Resource Management study revealed that over 67 percent of organizations view employer branding as a strategic recruiting tool to attract top talent and nearly one-half identified the employer brand as a top five strategic initiative, psychologists such as Born and Kang at Cornell University began to look it more seriously. In their new paper “What are best practices in the space of employer branding that enable organizations to attract and retain the best talent?” Born and Kang define an employer brand as a set of attributes and qualities that make an organization distinctive, promise a particular kind of employment experience, and appeal to those people who will thrive and perform their best in its culture. The researchers recommend the following best practices for deliberately and systematically shaping your employer brand. Assess and Shape an Authentic, Consistent Message of What Your Organization Values To attract and retain critical talent, organizations must make a concerted effort to ensure that they stand for something meaningful as an employer. An effective employer brand is a long-term strategy that permeates every aspect of the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, retention, and engagement. Born and Kang suggest evaluating and understanding your organization’s current value proposition, and ensuring that your employer brand message is authentic and consistent with company practices. You want to be certain that the employment experience you promise to potential employees is one you are already delivering. A helpful tip is to appoint an experienced brand strategist or influencer to craft an effective brand message. For example, Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut, found that the investment in hiring a marketing manager to drive employer branding initiatives across the organization was well worth it. These branding initiatives resulted in improved retention and applications, outperforming fast-food industry averages. For more, have a look at the SilkRoad blog.

Why Competing on Price is Bad - For Everyone!

Why Competing on Price is Bad - For Everyone! If you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last couple of months, the news of the Tesco horsemeat scandal may have passed you by. If not, then you’re aware that a large number of FMCG retailers have been suffering supply chain issues where horsemeat has been found in beef products. Although this is a complex issue, a simple explanation is that FMCG retailers, in an effort to protect and enhance their profit margins (which are typically low), have been squeezing prices paid to their suppliers, which pressured their suppliers to cut their own costs. As a result, they sourced their meat from cheaper suppliers in the supply network, and somewhere along the line a load of cheap horsemeat got sold as beef. This got me thinking about costs in the recruitment industry. A recruitment agency is a supplier to its clients, and as a supplier, price is often a major factor. Clients want to reduce their costs wherever possible, particularly in the current economic climate. To do this they may engage agencies willing to work to lower fees, forcing other agencies to match if they want to gain business. The similarities to the horsemeat issue are striking: could recruitment have its own horsemeat crisis in the works? Cost Analysis To illustrate my point, I’m going to do some basic cost analysis â€" for any readers with an economic/accounting background this will seem simplistic, but hopefully it will be of value. Cost analysis suggests that broadly there are three types of business costs: fixed costs, variable costs and semi-fixed costs. Fixed costs remain the same regardless of the output of the business, e.g. rent â€" an office that costs £10,000 a year to rent will cost that regardless of whether the business’ turnover is £10,000 or £100,000. Variable costs vary according to level of output. If the cost of material to make a product is £5 per unit, then the variable costs are £5 x number of units produced. Semi-fixed costs have a fixed element and a variable element. A phone line is a great example; annual line rental may be £200, and then each call costs a certain amount per minute. The more calls that are made, the higher the variable aspect, but the line rental cost is constant regardless of us age. There are many complex factors involved in cost analysis (e.g. economies of scale), but for the sake of simplicity I will disregard those for now. Imagine a recruitment consultancy with 5 employees, which only works permanent roles. Its main fixed costs are salaries, office rental (including all utilities), software costs (a database, office software licenses etc.), line rental, and assorted administration costs (e.g. insurance and accounting). Its main variable costs are commission payments, job-advertising costs (such as job posting), and phone calls. Each employee has a basic salary of £20,000, office rental is £10,000 a year, software costs are £5,000 a year, line rental is £1,000 a year and administration costs are £4,000 a year. That gives us fixed costs of £120,000 a year. Next, lets assume that each employee averages £1,000 in commission a month, job advertising averages at £500 a month, and around £500 worth of phone calls are made every month. That gives us variable costs of £60,000 in commission, £6,000 in advertising and £6,000 in phone calls £72,000 a year. As a result, we have total costs of £192,00 0 a year. In total, the business turned over £250,000, with an average placement fee of £5,000. With a single-product business like recruitment, theres a useful tool we can use to work out how much ‘product’ (in this case, placements) the business needs to sell in order to break even â€" the Break Even Point (BEP). The concept behind this is very simple; if a business comprises of both fixed and variable costs, then there is a point at which the business turnover will cover all fixed costs and all variable costs needed to achieve that level of output. To calculate the BEP, the formula is fixed costs / (sales revenue per unit â€" variable costs per unit). The fixed costs for the year are £120,000. The sales revenue per unit is £5,000. The variable costs per unit can be worked out by finding the variable cost margin, which is variable costs / sales revenue. As revenue was £250,000, and variable costs were £92,000, then the variable costs margin was 36.8%. Therefore, the variable cost for each placement was £1,840 (36.8% of £5,000). Thus, the BEP is £120,000 / ( £5,000 £1840) = 38 placements per year. We can prove this: 38 placements would give us £190,000 in revenue. If each placement generates £1,840 of variable costs, then 38 placements will generate £69,920 in variable costs. As fixed costs remain the same regardless of volume, £120,000 + £69,920 gives us total costs of £189,920 to generate £190,000 in revenue (slight discrepancy due to rounding required placements to a whole number). Now, let’s imagine that for the following year all those variables remain the same, with the sole exception that, due to increased competition in fees, the average placement fee was £3,000. In this case the BEP is different: the variable cost for each placement would be £1,104 (36.8% of £3,000). Therefore the BEP is £120,000 / (3000 â€" £1,104) = 64 placements! This means that our agency has to make 64 placements just to break even, when previously it made a profit of £58,000 with only 50 placements. Ramifications What are the ramifications for this? Well, we know what happened when Tesco started putting the squeeze on its suppliers. Although the above example does simplify matters, it highlights the problems of competing on price. In order to turnover £250,000 our agency had to make 84 placements, as opposed to 50. The risks here are clear; to operate at that higher volume, corners will be cut. Recruiters will spend less time qualifying each candidate, there will be an increase in tactics such as spray-and-pray, and the clients will get less commitment from their agencies. This is the ‘horsemeat’ that I worry about. In forcing agencies to compete on price, clients will inevitably see less value â€" less ‘beef’ â€" being delivered. Agencies already tend to have a bad rap, a lot of which is undeserved. In a purely cost-driven environment however, agency horror stories will become the norm, rather than the exception. We all know that quality costs more, which is why premium brands are more expensive than value brands. However, this cost is for a reason; no quality brand has been affected by the horsemeat scandal. The bottom line is that clients who treat their agencies as value-adding partners, who are willing to pay them at market rate or above and who work consultatively with them can be assured a regular flow of juicy, quality steak. Those who see agencies as liabilities and costs, who work with the cheapest bidder and dont build relationships with their suppliers, are at risk of horsemeat in their supply.

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese How to Kill Collaboration

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese How to Kill Collaboration Collaboration is an important buzzword around the workplace today, but David Stroms observation several years ago that there is a belief that sharing is still for sissies can still ring true today. Strom noted that until that attitude changes, the headphones will stay firmly stuck in our ears, blocking out the rest of the world around us, hewrote. While companies often tout theircollaborative cultureand employees cite their collaborative style during annual performance reviews, the difficult truth is that not only has collaboration failed to thrive in many organizations its a downright disaster. Here are some of the biggest goofs that upend collaborative efforts: Creating teams just because.Nearly 60 years of research shows that individuals are really much more creative than teams,findsLeigh Thompson, the J. Jay Gerber Professor of Management and Dispute Resolution at the Kellogg School. If one person really does have the skills and knowledge to complete a project, then dont form a team to do what one person can do better. Please dont create a team just for the sake ofcreating a team, she says. People hate that. Costs are ignored.Organizations get so caught up in the idea of collaboration they dont take the time to think about whether it makes bottom-line business sense. Is the process going to be automated so that participants arent duplicating efforts, adding unnecessary meetings or working with outdated data? As Morten T. Hansen,a professor at the University of California, Berkeleynotes: Cross-company collaboration typically means traveling more, coordinating work, and haggling over objectives and the sharing of information. The resulting tension that can develop between parties often creates significant costs: delays in getting to market, budget overruns, lower quality, limited cost savings, lost sales, and damaged customer relationships. Not everyone is on the same page.There is often plenty of eye rolling when its discovered a team member is avoiding acollaborative processbecause he or she is uncomfortable with the technology being used, or doesnt really understand a platform. That can lead to such awkwardness among team members it can bog down (read more here)

STEM Education The Foundation of Tomorrows Workforce (and Todays!)

STEM Education The Foundation of Tomorrow’s Workforce (and Today’s!) The following is a guest post by  Martha Daniel.  Her bio follows. Learning STEM Subjects in the Modern Digital Classroom Remains Key to Societal Success [Science] is more than a school subject, or the periodic table, or the properties of waves. It is an approach to the world, a critical way to understand and explore and engage with the world, and then have the capacity to change that world â€" Former President Barack Obama, March 23, 2015 Let’s face it. The subjects of STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) have always been at the foundation of society’s ability to grow, adapt, compete, communicate and protect citizens. But, for too long, the way scholastic institutions have approached these subjects has been anything but exciting or dynamic. In fact, many people reading this article probably have a hard time imagining these fields being taught in any sort of engaging or fun way. However, in the last few years, thanks to the “digital evolution,” the traditional models of learning at all levels of education have begun to see the possibility of change in an unprecedented and progressive manner. But, if we don’t pay close attention to the vital benefits, we could be left behind. With the advent of supreme mobility (laptops, iPads, eBooks, etc.), virtual reality tools and online forums, the modern-day classroom now has the amazing potential to become a truly interactive and inspiring experience for students of STEM, as well as the arts. The subjects of science, tech, engineering and math are nothing new, of course; rather, it is the method in which they are taught that has the ability to revolutionize our entire way of life, and engage a large, untapped swath of students who are just waiting to be inspired. Considering the United States is facing a sizeable gap in the digital/technology sectors, this cutting-edge approach could not be emerging at a better time. Right now, countries all across the globe are furiously working to build better infrastructures and grow their digital workforces to compete in this fast-paced, 24/7 business landscape. In regions such as Asia and India, many of the aforementioned technologies have already been at play in the classroom for quite some time. And in fact, it is the U.S., who has been behind the curve. In the United States, the need for technologyâ€"and more specifically, cybersecurityâ€"professionals continues to increase. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, information security employment is set to grow by 37% by 2022â€"making it rife with opportunity for the generation of college graduates. “Only 16 percent of American high school seniors are proficient in math and interested in a STEM career… The United States is falling behind internationally, ranking 29th in math and 22nd in science among industrialized nations.” â€" U.S. Dept. of Education As one of the most powerful societies on the planet, there is no doubt we can be better leaders. Shouldn’t we be the ones to send our expert professional overseas? Shouldn’t we be just as focused on the digital classroom as the rest of the world? The answers are “yes” and “yes.” That is why it is more crucial than ever to connect teachers, professors, administrators and mentors of all kinds to the innovative techniques that can bring the American classroom into the future. Not only will this upgrade in STEM education lead to more creative minds, it will continue cultivate new ways of thinking and problem-solving skills that can be adapted to the workforce and spark even newer technologies down the line. THE GENDER GAP Another important factor to recognize, as society faces the need to adapt to better STEM learning, is the obvious lack of females in the digital and technology arenas. While there may be a whole slew of reasons for this, the solution is clear and straightforward. Educators and industry leaders simply need to find better ways to hold the interest of young girls and women, who seem to lose interest in STEM-related subjects at around the age of 12. According to girlswhocode.com, only four percent of female college freshman are actually interested or enrolled in computing programs. Plus, females are on track to fill just three percent of the estimated 1.4 million projected computing-related jobs available in 2020.  Enter programs, such as E-STEM from non-profit, EmpowHer Institute, which partners with middle schools to deliver better STEM education to 7th and 8th grade girls and provides continuing support for program alumnae as they navigate through high school. Credentialed teachers, counselors and professional businesswomen serve as mentors; encouraging EmpowHer girls to examine and take on careers in a multitude of industries and build positive relationships. It is only through programs like these and a complete integration of modern STEM education tools that we, as a society, can get up to speed with the rest of the world. STEM is, and always has been, the foundation of our workforce. But, in the last few years, that foundation has shown some wear, and faced the decreasing interest of students who feel uninspired by older teaching models. Of course, no one expects these on-the-fence pupils to somehow magically and fully develop a passion for ANY subject without positive, interactive learning experiences. The answer to a more technologically-versed society is two-fold: (1) Business and industry leaders need to take an active interest in bringing their business knowledge and expertise to teachers, classrooms and students; (2) teachers, professors and administrators at all levels need to better educate themselves on the STEM education technology available, and learn how to best utilize it for classroom engagement. It is time to give young adults the education they deserve, by getting rid of the last remaining bits of chalk dust and leaving them with the lifelong skills to bring our nation into the world of tomorrow. The only way forward is through comprehensive STEM education that motivates students via fun, dynamic, and engaging online tools â€" all part of a universe that kids already know much more about than many adults. It is time for us to truly grow alongside the rest of the modern world. About the Author: Martha Daniel is the founder, president and CEO of Cytellix and its parent company, Information Management Resources, Inc. (IMRI), responsible for successfully deploying network security and asset management solutions to local, national and international organizations of every size in a wide range of industries including financial services, healthcare, municipalities, education, logistics and manufacturing. The United States Small Business Administration, Santa Ana District Office, selected Daniel as the 2016 Small Business Person of the Year. Additionally, she was honored as one of the top women veteran leaders for the 2014 White House Champion of Change, and was named a Change Maker by the EmpowHer Institute in 2016. Image credits. Main.  Girl.  

How Do I Write An Address In One Line On A Resume?

How Do I Write An Address In One Line On A Resume?A question that comes up often when people are asked to write a resume and address it in one line is 'How do I write an address in one line on a resume?' Many of the questions and concerns on how to write an address on a resume is that the process takes too much time. This seems to be the case.The answer to the question, how do I write an address in one line on a resume, is not difficult to find. The process of writing an address on a resume is very easy and requires only a basic knowledge of writing. However, it is not something that should be done on a regular basis because it takes a tremendous amount of time. Why spend time on something that can be automated?The answer to the question, how do I write an address in one line on a resume, is more complicated. Writing an address on a resume involves more than just one line. You need to write addresses for individuals, first name and last name, occupation, education, and affiliations.T he easiest way to address a resume is to add an 's' or space after the person's first name. It does not matter what the person's last name is. All you have to do is capitalize the first letter of the person's first name. For example, Mary Smith would be addressed as Mary Smith.When writing the occupation and education column, it is best to put the first two letters of the person's job title. Then take the last two letters of the job title and add them to the last name. For example, if the job title was project manager, the name would be Project Manager Mary Smith.To add in the affiliation of the person, all you have to do is add the last name first followed by the state or province. For example, Joe Smith is considered to be in Alabama by many. He would be addressed as Joe Smith Alabama.To address the next part of the resume is easy. After the person's education and affiliations, the next portion of the resume is the address to that person. The person's name is capitalized, followed by the name of the state or province. For example, Joe Smith is considered to be an Alabama resident by many.When you take into consideration that there are thousands of other people who could benefit from your resume, you can see that writing address in one line on a resume can be quite an arduous task. The process can be very tedious, but the end result will still be the same, which is a good looking resume.

When Your Resume Isnt Enough - CareerEnlightenment.com

Alternative #3: The Personal WebsiteA growing trend is for job applicants to create customized websites on which they can  post all kinds of information about themselves. Very often these websites are named for  the candidate (e.g. www.johndoe.com).Advantages:Employers dont need to mess with printed paper, disk files, DVDs, CDs, or any  other form of external media. Instead, they can merely access the candidates  website and find out the information they need. Not only that, but potential employers  can reach the candidate anytime they want simply by doing a computer web  search for the candidates name.Job seekers can use their personal websites to convey attributes that they could  never get across nearly as well with a traditional resume. Things like intelligence,  personality, communication skills, and passion can be communicated easily and  effectively.Drawbacks:Like any permanent structure, a website needs continual attention. A site can  easily lose its effectiveness if not reg ularly maintained and updated.Some employers still prefer a tactile resume of some sort. Just having a link to a  website instead of something in hand is sometimes viewed as a cold way of doing business, or even worse, a sign that the applicant is afraid of providing a tangible  foundation for an interview.Alternative #4: The Professional NetworkMany job applicants are now taking full advantage of websites, such as LinkedIn, to  post their professional profiles. In some cases, this is done not as an alternative, but as a  supplement to some other form of resume.Advantages:An increasing number of potential employers are now expecting job candidates  to have their professional profiles posted online and are relying on LinkedIn and  similar sites to give them the additional information about job applicants that they  seek.A professional network site gives job candidates visibility and access to  employment targets they would not otherwise have reached.Drawbacks:Increased visibility can also mean increased access to unwanted sources. Postersmare often targets of spam, or of strangers looking to take advantage of a posters  network of contacts.Information on a network site is not so easily tailored to a particular employer.  Personal profiles on a professional site by nature tend to be more general and less  likely to be a snug fit for that certain employer that the candidate is targeting.

Your Personal Ad What to Include in a Resume - CareerAlley

Your Personal Ad What to Include in a Resume - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Have you ever taken the time to know how many job applicants you are up against when applying for a particular job? Have you ever wondered how many resumes recruiters have to go through before selecting the right candidates to interview? Want to know what to include in a resume? What you ought to know is that 25% of recruiters spend less 30 seconds reading a resume. Its estimated that 40% of hiring managers spend 60 seconds or less reviewing a resume. As a job applicant, you have less than 7 seconds to impress a recruiter. How do you make a great impression within less than 7 seconds? Well, the answer is writing an award-winning resume. In this post, we highlight what to include in a resume. The golden rule to writing a killer resume is to know when and how you can break the golden rules. Paradoxically, when you follow all the rules, you actually reduce your chances of success. Tweet This Contact Details and Opening Statement One of the most important resume sections is your contact details. As the first part of your resume, it includes your name, phone number, home address, and email address. Your home address is optional unless the job requirements requests for one. Want to know how to format a resume? Start by not including the contact details in your header and footer. The opening statement provides a summary of who you are, where you worked before and even studied. This section should be brief. We recommend six sentences and should be written in the first person. Start with who you are, what you will be bringing to the job followed by your skills and attributes. Relevant Skills It is important to include a list of relevant skills. They should be relevant to the job you are applying for. For instance, if you are applying for a web designer position, include skills such as: Proficient in HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript Problem-solving Dispute resolution UX Design Responsive design Solid experience in creating user flows, sitemap, and process flows Remember, list 10 to 15 skills that includes soft, professional and technical skills. You can also learn more about the Jones Act from this page before applying for a job in the Maritime Industry. By making your resume original, you demonstrate your creativity and ability to use non-standard approaches in standard situations. It can be much more effective, than mentioning your creativity on the list of your professional qualities. How to Write a Killer Resume Education History When it comes to what to include in a resume under education history, add your highest level of education. For instance, if your highest level of education is a Masters degree, then include it. You dont have to include your examination results. The reason you dont have to include them is that they dont show how you are suited for the job. When listing your academic achievements such as awards, use bullet listing. This makes the content to be scannable and easier to read. Professional or Employment History This resume section allows you to list your employment and professional history. To stay ahead of the other job applicants, list your professional history in a chronological format. That is, start with your current job and work backward in time. For every job, include the job title, employers name, state, and city where you worked. You also need to include the start and end dates that is month and year not day. Add a summary of your accomplishment and responsibilities. Make this a bullet list and avoid common resume mistakes. Referees and Testimonials It is recommended to add two referees who can positively recommend you to an employer. To improve your chances, include the names and job title of people you have worked with. Dont include their contacts. You can also prove your skills by including a testimonial. A testimonial can be provided by someone who has worked with you preferably one of your referees. Two testimonials are enough. What to Include in a Resume Want to know what to include in a resume to make it professional and visually appealing? Choose the right font Times New Roman or Arial, and select the right resume margins 1 all around. You should also proofread your resume to eliminate grammar mistakes and typos. Dont add any personal information such as height, weight, and marital status. Looking for more tips on writing a professionally edited and visually appealing resume? Bookmark our websites Start learning section and be informed. GET YOUR KILLER RESUME What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to make a resume and cover letter that gets you hired. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. 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