Unbridled Talent

What’s New(ish) With LinkedIn

2012-03-26T18:09:41Z

Last week, I was fortunate to be invited to speak at a Cincinnati Social Media Group event on the campus of Northern Kentucky University at their gorgeous new College of Informatics facility – Griffin Hall.

I was pretty stoked to be presenting in such a visually stunning and engaging environment – and in front of a 15 feet by 25 feet presentation screen made up of digital micro tiles! It was also great to see so many in the Cincinnati Social Media community that I follow and learn from each day. Thanks to several of the participants for taking some cool photos. These will definitely go in the scrapbook!

photo by Kevin Dugan

Photo By Mike Boehmer

For my presentation, Cincinnati Social Media Founder, Kevin Dugan (someone I learn a great deal from in regards to social media and marketing communications – and also quite the Instagram pro) asked me to share what’s “new” on LinkedIn and some new ways of utilizing basic aspects of the site with a generally social media savvy audience – as well as NKU students who were invited to the event.

It was fun to try to create a presentation for a mixed audience – many of whom are LinkedIn experts in their own right – and I’ve embedded a copy of my attempt below. Email subscribers can click this link to view on SlideShare.

What’s New(ish) With LinkedIn – March 2012

View more presentations from Jennifer McClure

A couple of things that get lost in translation when uploading PDF files to Slideshare – any animation used or videos embedded don’t show up. So here’s a link to the video on Slide 35 about LinkedIn’s mobile application – CardMunch – which CEO Jeff Weiner says will help LinkedIn to “replace the traditional Rolodex” in the future: Digitize Business With LinkedIn’s CardMunch App

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Anything new in the presentation that you plan to look in to or implement – or anything you’d new(ish) you’d like to add in the Comments? I’d love to learn from you!

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Using Social Media to Screen Job Applicants – Yes or No?

2012-03-05T17:06:22Z

Whether or not it’s ok to utilize social media profiles and/or a person’s social media activity during the applicant screening process is a question that often comes up when talking with HR pros or recruiters about using social media at work.

As usual, I’ve got some opinions about that question, and I recently was asked to share them on the Intuit Small Business blog by writer Kevin Casey. The short scoop is, I’m not a Fan of it.

Find out why by checking out the full interview on the Intuit blog - “Why It’s a Bad Idea to Check a Job Applicant’s Facebook Profile”.

So what do you think?

To Google or not to Google? That is the question. Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear your opinion as well!

For more great reading on this subject, check out one of the most popular posts on TLNT.com by my friend Laurie Ruettimann – “Don’t Facebook Me: Why You Shouldn’t Google During the Recruiting Process”.

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Personal Branding For Career Growth & Success [Presentation]

2012-02-14T03:15:09Z

Last week, I once again had the privilege of speaking to a group of over 50 women who have been selected for the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s WE Lead Program. This was the 3rd year in a row that I’ve had the opportunity to share with the participants in this 10 month leadership development program about the importance of Personal Branding in today’s competitive employment environment.

It’s always a pleasure to spend time with highly talented women with such high potential and I really enjoy the conversation and feedback that happens as a result!

In my “Personal Branding for Career Success” session, the participants are initially asked to write a few words or statements describing what they believe their Personal Brand is today, as well as what they’d like for it to be (assuming that is different). Then, we work as a group to get that message into a a succinct Personal Brand Statement for each individual that they can utilize as a base for building a strong online presence, focusing their career activities and even prioritizing and identifying ways to get noticed within and outside of work.

I’ve included the presentation deck from last week’s presentation below.

Personal Branding for Career Growth – Feb 2012

View more presentations from Jennifer McClure

Personally, I’m a bit over the term “personal branding”, but I do still see tremendous value in the concepts of understanding who you are and being able to communicate your value, as well as to articulate what differentiates you from others in your field. Clearly, many of the participants did as well, as evidenced by some of their comments:

“This was a fascinating topic. Hadn’t thought a lot about doing personal branding, but see how it fits with career and work. She was very organized with presentation, handouts, small group activity and content was great.”

“Excellent, but I left feeling somewhat inadequate. Time to get to work!”

“Helped to spend some time reworking my personal brand statement. She knows her stuff.”

“So helpful! Lots of steps to take to claim my brand.”

“People do have a perception of me. I need to take control of that.”

“Branding session impressed on me the importance of keeping social media tools updated.”

“Thanks so much for sharing your expertise with our WE Lead class yesterday! Your presentation is always one of the best-received of the entire program and that was true again this year. Clearly the information you share resonates with the group and it motivates them to take action. Please know how much we appreciate your contribution to WE Lead and hope you take pride in the lasting impact you are making for these women. – Diana Long, Program Manager Women Excel

What’s your take on the topic of Personal Branding? Love it? Hate it? Think it’s more important than ever to have one?

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2012 Winona Area SHRM Annual Conference – I’ll Be There!

2012-02-14T01:25:18Z

A few months ago, when it was still warm outside, Winona Area SHRM Marketing & PR Coordinator William Gould contacted me about the possibility of coming to Winona, Minnesota to be the keynote speaker for their annual conference on March 13th. After several assurances from William that it will likely be ~~warm~~ cold in Minnesota in March, I decided to unpack my parka and enthusiastically signed up to lead two workshops at the conference – where the theme will be “It’s All Social… Media, That Is”!

The two workshops I’ll be leading will include:

“Why Social Media Matters to Your Business”

We’ll address how social media is being utilized successfully by businesses of all sizes and industries for marketing products and services, connecting with customers, recruiting talent and building relationships. We’ll also discuss the importance of creating a social media strategy, preparing for potential negative interactions, tracking success and choosing which tools are right for your business.

“Using Social Media in HR & Recruiting”

In this session, we’ll cover how successful HR pros just like you are using social media to develop professionally and grow their careers – without breaking any rules. We’ll also review examples of how companies and organizations of all sizes and industries are using social media to positively impact the critical talent strategies within their organizations.

Bonus: Pre-conference complimentary webinar led by Paul DeBettignies, VP of Recruiting at HireCast Consulting and Co-Founder of the Minnesota Recruiters Association along with Josh Rock, the Minnesota SHRM State Conference Co-Director and Account Executive at JobDig Media/LinkUp.com. Paul and Josh will introduce attendees to the popular social media tools and provide hands-on instruction on the social media basics.

I’m very excited about speaking at this conference in the next few weeks and if you’ll be in or around Winona, Minnesota on March 13th, sign up to join us!

Want more details about the conference? It’s all here -> Winona SHRM Conference 2012 Flyer

Oh, I also did a shoutout video from the radioactive laboratory that is my office. What else could explain the radiant glow on my face? (Ummm, bad lighting!)

Email subscribers will need to click through to view the awesome video.

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LinkedIn Is King In Social Recruiting, But Facebook & Twitter Also Important

2012-02-13T20:25:50Z

The folks at Bullhorn Reach recently took the time to summarize the social media actual activity of recruiters and job seekers in the Bullhorn Reach user network in 2011 (over 35,000 recruiters) across the “big 3″ social recruiting platforms – LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter. The results, while not surprising, are certainly interesting.

A few interesting findings included in the report include:

Recruiters are connected to all three social networks, but are using LinkedIn and Twitter much more than Facebook to recruit talent.

LinkedIn is driving the most views and applications per job posted on the three networks.

Twitter followers are much more likely to apply for a job than connections on LinkedIn or friends on Facebook.

21% of recruiters are connected to all 3 of the “big 3″ social networks, but 48% use LinkedIn exclusively.

Agency and corporate recruiters exhibit slightly different connecting and social recruiting strategies across the networks.

2012 Social Recruiting Activity Report

View more documents from Bullhorn Reach

I’d recommend taking a few minutes to review the entire report, but for those of you with a short attention span (like me), Bullhorn summarized some of the results in a handy Infographic as well.

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5 HR Tips For Creating Effective Performance Reviews

2012-01-26T19:20:54Z

Today’s post is a guest post from Erin Palmer – a writer and educator for Bisk Education. Erin works with University Alliance and the online education programs at Villanova University.

So give it up for Erin as she she shares some tips for creating effective employee performance reviews…

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As HR professionals know, an employee review is an essential part of building an effective organization. Just like smart recruiting helps you get the best possible talent, a well-developed employee review process allows you to develop that talent. Conducting reviews takes experience to finesse, but is worth the time as a strong team building tool. Following these five key points when reviewing your organization’s review process can turn an HR challenge into an HR success.

1. The best reviews involve the employee in a self-assessment process that motivates, celebrates strengths and identifies clear areas for improvements.

Begin with having the employee fill out a self-assessment for you ahead of time. This self- assessment will provide you with a starting point for the review. Seeing from the employee’s perspective will teach you things that you otherwise might not see.

2. Use the self-assessment as a way to keep the conversation focused and as a tool for you to accentuate strengths and address areas for growth.

The in-person employee review meeting can be stressful. Beginning with reviewing the self-assessment can ease the tension and get a conversation started. Many employees will admit the areas in which they aren’t as strong. When an employee brings up their own weaknesses, it is easier to have a proactive conversation about them without the employee feeling defensive. This will help you create an honest discussion and set goals for improvement. Make sure that the conversation is two sided; listen as much as you speak. Always alternate between addressing the employee’s positive and negative performances. Use the conversation to empower the employee to identify new goals.

3. Create an employee review form that reflects the values and goals of your organization.

If you are building a review process from scratch, there are tools available to build review forms. Whether you use your own or adapt an existing form, the process needs to be consistent. Be sure all employees are aware of the process and any changes you make well before individual reviews begin. The review process should be an organic part of the organization and help build a strong team who knows what to expect in the process. All levels of the organization should engage in a similar review process. If the review includes scoring or grading an employee’s performance, the scoring system needs to be clearly defined. Adhering to a standard review procedure builds trust in your leadership and builds camaraderie across the organization. As your company evolves, adjust the review process when necessary to support your mission statement.

4. Review the employee review form in a conversational manner.

Do not just read the form out loud to the employee. A two-sided conversation is more beneficial to both of you. Be sure to take the jargon out of the process and communicate clearly the specific areas you will focus on so that the employee feels comfortable with the process. If a monitoring process needs to be established for an employee experiencing challenges, be sure to work that out formally in the written review. When the review is over, discuss pay raises and the employee’s goals. If an employee is going to receive a raise, or an adjustment in duties, give a specific start date. Always give the employee a copy of the review.

5. Set up a regular schedule for reviews and clearly communicate changes ahead of time.

Most organizations review employees on an annual basis, although there are some exceptions. New employees often find it beneficial to have a review after 90 days on board. A current employee who is transitioning into a new position may need a review in four to six months. A current employee who was underachieving may benefit from another review in six to ten weeks to encourage the changes or modify the process.

Even the most skilled HR professional can find seasonal employee reviews a daunting task and a cumbersome process. Your employee review process should be accurate, efficient and goal-oriented. Thoroughly reviewing your company’s review process can help build a strong, focused team.

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University Alliance submitted this article on behalf of Villanova University. If you’re interested in an online HR certification program, Villanova offers these courses in addition to a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Development. For more information please visit http://www.VillanovaU.com.

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10 Presentations – Using Social Media in HR & Recruiting

2011-11-14T01:19:41Z

I utilize several resources to keep on top of what’s new and who’s saying what in the worlds of recruiting, social recruiting and human resources – and one of my favorite resources is Slideshare.net. (You can follow me on Slideshare.net HERE to see presentations I’ve uploaded as well as my favorites, etc.)

Lately, there have been several informative and helpful presentations uploaded related to using social media in HR and using social media for recruiting. Below are 10 of my favorites:

(1) SHRM Survey Findings: Social Media in the Workplace

(uploaded by SHRM – November 2011)

Part 3 social media in the workplace final

View more presentations from shrm

(2) Social Changes Everything

(uploaded by Intuit Careers – presenter Gail Houston – November 2011)

Social Changes Everything

View more presentations from Intuit Careers

(3) Innovative Recruiting Tips for 2012 from ERE’s 2011 Recruiting Innovation Summit

(video presentation uploaded by Dice.com – November 2011)

Innovative Recruiting Tips for 2012 at ERE’s #RIS11

View more videos from Social Recruiting

(4) HR 2.0: Social Media Strategy for Recruitment & Talent Management

(uploaded by Sidneyeve Matrix – November 2011)

Socializing Human Resources

View more presentations from Sidneyeve Matrix

(5) Innovative Recruiting Within a Conservative Corporate Environment

(uploaded by Jenny DeVaughn – October 2011)

Innovative Recruiting In A Conservative Corporate Environment at Facebook HQ – Jenny DeVaughn

View more presentations from Jenny DeVaughn

(6) CareerBuilder: Q3 Trends Update: Social Recruiting

(uploaded by Melissa Murray Balsan – October 2011)

Q3 Social Media Recruiting Update

View more presentations from Melissa Murray Balsan

(7) Using Social Media for Recruiting and HR

(uploaded by Kyle Lacy – October 2011)

Using Social Media for Recruiting and HR

View more presentations from Kyle Lacy

(8) Essential Elements of Social Recruiting

(uploaded by Tweetajob – presenter Carmen Hudson – October 2011)

NHRMA Fundamentals of Social Recruiting

View more presentations from Tweetajob

(9) Career Sites, Recruiting Strategy & The Candidate Experience

(uploaded by Monster.com – presenter Matt Adam – September 2011)

Career Sites, Recruiting Strategy & The Candidate Experience

View more presentations from Monster.com

(10) Save Your Cold Calls – Go Where Your Candidates Already Are

(uploaded by ERE.net – presenter Shally Steckerl – August 2011)

Save Your Cold Calls! Use Social Media and Go Where Your Candidates Already Are

View more presentations from beeshields

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(Want to see more presentations from the companies/individuals above? Just click on the “View more presentations from ___” link below the embedded presentation.)

Which presentation do you like best? What did you like most about it?

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Catch Me If You Can – And You Can! (November 2011)

2011-10-31T04:17:41Z

November is shaping up to be a busy month here at Unbridled Talent LLC!

I’m looking forward to attending and speaking at the following events:

November 1 – 2, 2011/Chicago, IL: Recruiting Trends/OnRec Global Recruiting Summit 2011

“You Gotta Love Recruiting” (Panelist)

“What The Future Holds For Recruiting” (Co-presenter with Carmen Hudson of tweetajob & Recruiting Toolbox)

November 3, 2011/Toledo, OH: Toledo Human Resources Association Conference

“Transform From HR Leader to Business Leader: 7 Strategies To Achieve Maximum Impact In Your Organization”

November 8, 2011/Omaha, NE: Human Resources Association of the Midlands

“The Case For Using Social Media As A Human Resources Professional” (Keynote)

“Using Social Media In HR: Attract, Recruit & Engage Talent” (3 hour Workshop)

November 9, 2011/webcast: Human Capital Institute (FREE webcast sponsored by Jobvite. Register HERE.)

“Three Keys To Attracting & Recruiting Talent In The ‘New Normal’”

November 14, 2011/webcast: BrazenU’s Social Recruiting Bootcamp (Online webcast series. Register HERE.)

“The Future of Recruiting” (Co-presenter with Laurie Ruettimann of The Cynical Girl & The Starr Conspiracy)

November 15 – 16, 2011/New York, NY: The Conference Board – Senior HR Executive Conference*

“The Organization of The Future and The Role of HR” (Panelist)

* Receive $500 off registration for the Senior HR Executive Conference by using the Discount Code – JM1)

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Are you interested in a speaker for your conference, association meeting or corporate event? I’d be delighted to talk with you about confirming a date for 2012!

I typically talk about topics related to recruiting strategy, social recruiting, employment branding, human resources, personal branding and career/leadership development.

Check out my “Speaking” Page for more information, sample testimonials and a listing of previous speaking engagements – then Contact Me to discuss your event!

Photo credit: Paul DeBettignies – www.mnheadhunter.com

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LinkedIn Recruiting Trends 2011 – United States [Slideshare]

2011-10-26T01:18:17Z

Recently, I came across this presentation on slideshare.net summarizing LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends 2011 survey for the United States and I thought I’d share it with you.

Some interesting stats from this report include:

Over 6 in 10 companies in the US plan to hire more professionals in 2011 than in 2010.

Although 63% of US respondents expect hiring to increase in 2011, only 45% expect their hiring budget to increase.

Finding better ways to source passive candidates is the top recruiting trend in the US, while using social and professionals networks is a close second.

59% of companies in the US report social professional networks are a minor source in their recruiting efforts, while 29% indicate it is a major source.

35% of companies are worried that their competitors will learn to use social networks and social media more effectively than they will.

LinkedIn is the most popular social network for recruiting, used by 96% of respondents.

Check out the presentation uploaded by SBG Media Group below.

LinkedIn Global Recruiting Trends

View more presentations from SGB Media Group

Report Summary:

Hiring is expected to increase in the US, but budgets are not keeping pace.

Social professional networking is seen as one of the most important, long- lasting recruiting trends in the US and most companies are already using it to some degree.

Sourcing passive candidates is a key trend.

The use of talent community-building and employment branding tools is expected to increase.

Employee referral programs are anticipated to grow.

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Join Me: BrazenU’s Online Social Recruiting Bootcamp 11/7 – 18

2011-10-24T06:35:41Z

If you’re interested in learning more about social recruiting, social recruiting strategy and employment branding, there’s a great opportunity coming up for you to do so. It’s online, affordable, you can access the training on your own time AND you can get HRCI certification credits!

Brazen Careerist is offering a Social Recruiting Bootcamp that will run November 7 – 18, 2011, with multiple sessions that will be available live and recorded for future listening. I’m excited to have been invited to do one of the sessions – “The Future of Recruiting” with my friend and HR/Social Media Strategist, Laurie Ruettimann.

I don’t think you can beat the price for this multi-day learning event and I hope you’ll consider joining us to learn more about Social Recruiting!

BrazenU’s Social Recruiting Bootcamp (November 7 – 18, 2011):

This November 7-18, BrazenU’s Social Recruiting Bootcamp will teach you how to use social media to ENGAGE with your target recruiting audience, create the content and message to CONNECT with top talent and implement the strategy to make the right HIRE, fast.

We know end of year is a busy time for recruiters, so this course offers the flexibility to either participate in live sessions or access the program materials at a time that fits your schedule — all at a fraction of the cost of typical in-person conferences. And, the course has been approved for 6.0 (General) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute.

Classes/Speakers include:

“Building Your Social Recruiting Strategy” with Steve Boese, Director of Talent Management Strategy at Oracle and Susan Strayer, Founder at Exaqueo

“Recruiting on LinkedIn: Taking You to the PhD Level” with Mike O’Neil, Founder of Integrated Alliances and Lori Ruff, Chief Learning Officer, Lead Social Media Coach and Senior Trainer of Integrated Alliances

Live Power Lunch Q&A Call with Tracy Brisson, Founder of One2Many Consulting and Jason Warner, Principal at Recruiting Toolbox

“The Future of Recruiting” with Laurie Ruettimann, Principal HR and Social Media Strategist at Starr Conspiracy and Jennifer McClure, President of Unbridled Talent LLC (I hear this session will be awesome!)

“Going Deeper with Facebook and Twitter” with Jennifer Hasche, Technical Recruiter at Intuit and Margo Rose, Social Media Recruiter at Jackson National Life

“Going Mobile” with Joel Cheesman, Founder at Mobsicle

“Maintain Your Employer Brand through Your Candidate Experience” with Christa Foley, Senior HR Recruiter at Zappos and Brandis Paden, Recruiting Supervisor at Zappos

Live Power Lunch Q&A Call with Brianna Foulds, Head of Talent Acquisition, Oakley and Avery Block, Senior Recruiter at Yum! Inc. (Taco Bell, KFC, among others)

Registration: $245 and only $195 for current SHRM members

Download/print this PDF for a program outline, list of speakers/moderators and learning objectives for each session.

Click HERE to register for BrazenU’s Social Recruiting Bootcamp.