How on-line job recruiting may be ruining your results at work

  “There are no jobs that match your profile” screamed the red type at the bottom of a Portland hospital’s job site.  That was after I’d spent more than an hour carefully detailing my work history and credentials, giving educational background including university addresses, websites and GPA’s. That was after I’d supplied the required phone number, current employment locations and email addresses of references and former supervisors.  I invested all of that time and effort only after carefully reading the description for the posted job, and determining that it was an exact match for my skill sets.

   My cover letter addressed the attributes, duties and experiences the job description called for.  My years of experience exceeded even the preferred level of qualifications requested.

   It gets more dubious. Keep reading.

   I was also required to post some very sensitive and personal information that could have subjected me to ID fraud or unfairly eliminated me from consideration – my age  :) --and previous salary --more than this position will pay.

   “If you are offered a position,” according to the hospital’s job site, “this information will be needed for a background check.” 

   Fair game, if I am a finalist.  Fair questions if I am interviewed. Then I can tell you in person that the salary doesn’t matter as much as the opportunity. Then I can tell you in person that my age brings with it experience, commitment and maturity. But I was eliminated before any qualified human being considered my qualifications. 

  My future was determined by a computer program.

  More than 45 state governments, most municipalities and thousands of companies have subordinated the work of human resource departments and decision-making managers to on line recruiting software. There are two leading companies contracted for most of this work. Their websites tout the software as a real public service that saves time for employers by eliminating “unqualified” candidates.  They also claim that employees need to create their on line profile only once.  That isn’t true. The employees have to keep applying for every new position. If they apply at different companies, they need a separate email address, username and password for every single employer – even if the same on line recruiting firm and template is responsible for the search.  I currently have 5 pages of usernames and passwords filling a tablet in my home office. Think this is easy to navigate?

 What these e-applications really do is search your application for a match of key words, not qualifications.  The method is similar to teaching a child to memorize, but not learn what is going to be on an exam.

  As employers, do we want to hire people who know how to beat the system, or do we want creative, engaged employees?  If you as a manager really believe the jobs you post are so cookie cutter that a computer program can perform the hiring function, you should quit.  Save your company the money you’re being paid.

  If you’re looking for work, how would you feel about being hired because you figured out what key words the computer program was looking for?  Do you want software probably designed in a foreign country to decide whether you can do a job? Do you want the structure, direction, goals and expectations for your performance determined by these on line recruiters?  That’s where we’re heading if this continues.  You will walk into a new job where your supervisor has a better relationship with a software program than he does with you. 

  Until the state legislatures can scrutinize and require improved on line recruiting, we are forced to work around the system in order to match the best employees with the best employers.

  If you’re in the job market, you will have to go through the on line recruiting channels if your perspective employer requires you to do so.  Adapt your cover letter and resume so you provide an exact match of the key words describing the required experience and duties. Play the system.  But take one more step:  find out who the decision maker is for the position and get a more creative letter and resume in their hands.  I don’t care if it annoys them.  If you’re hired, you bosses won’t want you to give up the first time you’re assigned to a difficult task, will they?  They won’t want you to rely on email as your only means of communication, will they?  They won’t want you to mail in a cookie cutter performance, so be persistent and insist on getting personal in your job search.

  If you’re an employer, I encourage you to take the extra step in your recruiting. The “upside” to a high unemployment rate for you is that you’ll have some highly qualified candidates, so don’t miss out on them. Read the cover letters!  Conduct more interviews.  Find some references on your own and really find out about these people. Have HR do the drug screening and criminal background checks while you invest in finding the winner who can advance your team. 

  Fire the on line recruiters if you want positive results on the job.

Employed? That’s something to be Positive about! Make yourself more valued in 2011.

　
  The Positive Image Network is a cathartic place for me. It allows me to post every good thought I have. There is an energy that comes from feeling good about something, from sharing a good idea, from showcasing the good works of others. That energy can’t be matched even by a hard run on the treadmill.
After working for so many years in a public eye career, I could be a pretty skilled spin doctor. But what I am here is just pretty honest. I only represent here what I feel good about and believe in. That’s because this is just a blog.
  It’s a calling, but it’s not a job in the real world.
  In the real world, we may not be able to find the jobs that make us happy. This is 2011! The jobs we have to do are the ones that make others happy to have us.
  So let’s be honest about what your boss needs from you.
  Performance is more important than ever. You have to bring new ideas, new clients, get results and push your work ethic to its highest level. You already know that. You also need to be a good citizen. What can you do Monday morning that will make the whole team effective? How can you make your boss more effective? Putting the team first means you are a performer, not a problem child. Notice I did not tell you to be a suck up; that doesn’t have lasting benefits for anyone. What I am suggesting is a Positive Image and a positive performance.
  High performing employees who don’t complain often will be listened to when there is a need to bring an issue to management’s attention. Chances are that if you’re a high performer and a good citizen on the job, you’ve thought out your approach when you do need to bring up an issue or suggest a correction for an idea that isn’t working. Your solutions will be appreciated and accepted.
  I offer these thoughts from the school of hard knocks. I have been the employee. I have been the manager. I know the worse the economy is, the more good citizenship pays off at work.
  Part of our obligation to our career is this: We win as a team.  We own our mistakes as individuals.  Don't cover for others who may bring us all down, but do own your own mistakes, then move on. 
  How does this help you?
 From the management perspective, some of the longest “difficult” conversations I had with employees were the ones where they did not take ownership of mistakes they’d made. We wasted time investigating and debriefing to try to find out what happened. We sometimes brought others into the conversations to see how deep the issue really was. We re-examined policy that probably didn’t need to be re-created as much as it needed to be followed. Sometimes these conversations went on for days, and when they all came back to someone who’d made a mistake without taking ownership, I lost respect for those employees.
  Some of the shortest “difficult” conversations I had with employees where the ones where they immediately owned up to what happened. I could only say one thing: “Thank you and moving forward, here is how we will handle this kind of thing…” Then the conversation with my bosses was always short: “I know what happened, I take responsibility and we have it addressed.”
  Simply: if you own your mistakes, you won’t repeat them. You will build a level of trust with your team. That’s the Positive Image that wins at work.

Build the brand you want on social media

 Sad thing happened Monday morning. My husband handed me the local paper and said, “Today’s newsletter has arrived.”  He was right.  The Oregonian in its day was legend, breaking big stories and winning major awards. Monday it weighed little more than the leaflets that housecleaners, painters and dog sitters routinely leave on our front porch. Most of what was on the front page, I’d already read on my Smartphone.

 Traditional media is emaciated and isn’t coming back. News outlets are not ignoring your excellent story pitches because they’re too busy.  They’re ignoring them because there are no longer enough editors to really consider the ideas, and when those editors look around the room, empty cubicles are staring back at them. Their laid off colleagues have moved on. There are too few people left to write that story. 

 The situation is similar in TV newsrooms.  Many are so thinly-staffed, they can afford only to chase a couple of “lead” stories. They fill the rest of their air time with surveillance video of convenience store robberies and criminal mug shots handed out by police. Any wonder that audience is declining?

 Those of us who might be your target customer no longer need to find the remote or subscribe to a paper to find news. News finds us. We are no longer “readers” or “viewers” for the most part; we are crowdsourcing in two other places: online and on mobile.  Most of the news, entertainment and other information we need is on our tablet or cell phone, we bookmark favorite sites and our Tweet decks light up with new headlines faster than a TV anchor can make it to the set to break news.

 If you’re trying to attract customers, you might not need to pay thousands for a spot airing in television prime.  In fact for niche businesses, that’s a waste of money.  Use social media to target the customers you want.

 Facebook is a good place to build your Positive Image. It has over 500 million users. People love it because it’s so emotionally connective. Logging on all day or for only minutes a day, users can get support, show off great ideas, celebrate, post family photos.  What better place is there to sell a product or service you are passionate about?

  There are excellent resources to help you grow your skills.  I am reading Facebook Marketing An Hour a day.    This 20-dollar investment is good for helping you to find out who is using Facebook, what motivates them and how to target some of them to use your services or product.   An excellent multi-week on line course is being offered in March. It’s “spendy” at about 400 bucks, but could grow your social media marketing skills to expert level if you’re savvy and committed. 

In Kids Cooking Corner children fire up their appreciation for nutritious and delicious food

  I remember the first time my parents slept in on a Saturday morning and invited me to fix breakfast for my little sister, Pam.  I could have opted for cereal, but that was not exotic enough. Pam at age 4 was already a “foodie” and would not have been satisfied with Fruit Loops.

   In an inspired moment, I decided to make eggs! I broke them into a bowl, whipped them up to a mediocre state where they were still runny, and found a frying pan.  What I failed to realize before doing all this, was that we had a gas stove, and I was afraid of fire.  I did not light the stove and tried to convince Pam that raw eggs were good and good for her.  I spooned them over a piece of bread.

  She embarrassed me by getting a fresh piece of bread, putting it in the toaster herself and turning on the stove!

   No 9-year-old big sister should ever be humiliated like that, and no 4-year old should risk a gas stove without some training!

   Fast forward to Vancouver, Washington in 2011 where  kids as young as 3 years old are making chicken enchiladas and serving them to their parents. They’re folding linen napkins and learning table manners.  They are rolling, mixing and measuring ingredients to prepare healthy foods.   And they are making new friends.

   The Kids Cooking Corner opened last December and is already a popular destination for children celebrating birthdays or looking for new challenges.

  “Once the kids are there, they have so much fun,” said Heidi O’Connor, who founded the school with a mission to teach children how to prepare and appreciate healthy meals. 

    The experience takes math, science and nutrition to a new and more exciting level for the young students.

    “They have to read the recipes and help figure out how to double the ingredients,” O’Connor said. “And it’s easy for them to learn this when they can see it, such as with liquid.”   O’Connor said part of the learning experience for the children involves tweaking kid-favorite recipes to come up with healthy alternatives.

     She said one recent hit with the kids was “elephant ears.”  This treat brings back “state fair” memories for most of us, but the version served up at The Kids Cooking Corner lacked the heavy grease – they were oven baked.

     The inspiration for The Kids Cooking Corner came to O’Connor after she was laid off last spring.

     “I went through a lot of questioning. Who am I? What is my legacy?” 

   She knew two things right away: She wanted her pity party to be short, and she did not want to land another job that would require her to be away from her family so much.

    She spent some of her new free time cooking for her husband and their three children. That’s when the idea hit her.  “Kids are not getting home economics classes at school anymore,” She reasoned that she could start a school where young chefs could learn some tasty life lessons.

     In December, she opened her business in the historic Padden home, a 109-year old house owned by a prominent Vancouver family known since the 1930’s for dairy farming and retailing interests. The house is located at

5206 NE 78^th St.

in Vancouver.  The home’s kitchen is now furnished with newer appliances O’Connor purchased perusing Craig’s list postings.

    Some of the kitchen tools are donated, she said. 

    The school is still in need of donations such as china, linens, pizza making equipment and hopefully another bread maker for some of the gluten-free classes recently added to the school’s class menu.

    The classes are scheduled mainly around children’s school hours or on Saturday’s.  Discount pricing is available for packages of four classes. Some families have staged birthday parties for their children and friends at The Kids Cooking Corner.

    “Everything was beautiful and well done,” Jeanette Rafferty posted to the school’s website after her children enjoyed a recent class. Rafferty called it “a stress free moment for mama” and added, “I am raving to everyone that I know about how great you are and how much fun we had.”

     During spring break in April, O’Connor plans a week where visiting professionals can meet with the students to talk about their “real life” jobs in the food industry.  Visitors will likely include a professional chef, a butcher and perhaps a local celebrity who will offer the children a chance to cook for their special guest.

    This summer, The Kids Cooking Corner will expand with a garden, giving its students a “farm to table” opportunity. Future plans call for more “around the house” classes teaching skills such as sewing and arts and crafts.  But for now, O’Connor says, the kitchen experience The Kids Cooking Corner is giving to local families is a most welcome full plate.

     “It’s been an amazing journey,” she said.

  Not only are the students making memories. Parents have been served some of their children’s creations and “they’re so proud of them.  Just the hugs and kisses -- it brings tears to your eyes.”

Maintain a Positive Image on your Social Media Accounts

  Social Media presents an opportunity like no other to be expressive, to hook up with old neighbors and high school buddies and to almost instantly let others see what you’ve ordered for dinner.  It has fun personal and essential professional applications, and if you’re not connected, you’re missing out.

   You do have a responsibility to yourself and to your image if you have an account, however.  Managing your online reputation is critical.

   You have heard the security warnings about how giving too much information about when you are not home can allow burglars to break in, or about how giving the year of your birth can eliminate you from a job before you’re even interviewed.

    You may not have given much thought to how comments, photos and other “fun” stuff can hurt your image as well.

    Your account is not private. Let’s face it.  If you have more than 15 or 20 “friends”, you don’t really “know” all of them well enough to be sure they are looking out for your best interests.  Even if they are, we don’t know what their “friends” will do with something you post in a comment thread.

    Here is a recent example brought to my attention.  A man commented on his social media site that he hoped management would not go through with a plan to add a project with a busy weekend coming up. This meant more work and giving up a day off. Six or seven co workers weighed in with agreement, some of them even saying their boss was “sucking up” putting that project on the table.   Of course due to some “mutual friendships” in the Facebook world, the thread was seen by the supervisor who lamented to upper management that “this hurt my feelings.”   Hopefully those who commented won’t be ruled out next time a promotion or plumb assignment comes up.  Never complain about your job on social media!  In fact, post when you had a good day, a win for the team or when a colleague was recognized. This probably makes you feel good and sets a good tone for the comments your friends will post to your “wall.”

  It’s OK and even expected for Sarah Palin or an elected official to post their political beliefs. Are you in a job where that’s acceptable?  Give it some thought before you share that information.

  Never post any comment or information about yourself to your home or profile page that you would be embarrassed for your boss to see.  If you are Facebook “friends” with anyone at work, chances are, the boss will see it.

  Do list your volunteer pursuits and do post positive thoughts you have about others when you’re comfortable doing so.

  Be mindful of the photographs you post as well. You should have fun and hobbies. This makes life interesting.  But be thoughtful. If you are a cigar aficionado and you’re prepared to defend this, posting a profile picture of you with a great smoke is probably alright. If you post a shot of yourself smoking something illegal, however, that’s a bad call. That photo can be copied and literally clicked around the world, with your name “tagged” in seconds.

   Twitter is even more difficult to protect.  Anyone “following” you can re-tweet your comments, and their friends can do so again without your knowledge.  Recently a tweeter sent out a message, “Called in sick to finish Christmas shopping.”  I hope he was kidding.

   I’ve talked with several high profile employees about their comments or photos posted on Facebook.  Invariably they defend whatever they post because they have both “professional” and “personal” accounts.  The job related sites usually include a great, working photo of the account holder.  But one co-worker’s personal account had a profile shot of her spanking another woman’s butt.  All in fun, I’m sure, but not a positive image. If I hold a Facebook account, and I search your name – John Quigelstein –all of your profile pages are accessible to me, even if I am not a “friend.”  This means I can see at the very least, your profile pictures, political beliefs and other information that may not reflect positively on you.

  If you truly feel you want your social media accounts to be more personal and private, consider parsing your friends and followers list down to just a few people whom you know very well. But if you like being part of a huge social community as do millions of other Americans, you need to consider the consequences of your posts.