Here’s a hint: It wasn’t the Budweiser horses (once again) making friends with a farm animal. Seriously – fire your advertising group. Like TODAY!!!
Another hint: it wasn’t the Sketchers ‘Shape-ups’ shoes. I can’t believe they wasted their money advertising the ugliest shoes ever.
What I wish I had seen was the job boards doing something radically different – not trying to vy for the funniest commercial – but doing what people know them for – finding people jobs. How much publicity, press and overall good will would it have made for them to use their slots to feature jobseekers that were looking for jobs – not sappy sad stories – but “Hey, I’m awesome – here’s why”
Not that the fiddling beaver wasn’t funny but…we all know my talking etrade babies are the funniest commercials ever. Seriously. I love them.
When Yahoo first announced last summer that they were looking at dropping selling HotJobs I was excited and thought – “its about time”. Let me be blunt. HotJobs sucked after Yahoo bought it. As an outsider – Yahoo took what could have been a true competitor for the Monster’s and Careerbuilder’s (this was back in early 00’s, remember, market still open) and let it die amongst their land of “ooh, shiney’s”*
On the day after the announcement – Monster stock closed down about 12% – a sign that some of the other people that matter may have some questions about this deal – or more specifically how much was paid (A whopping $225million). I can see where they are coming from, again, Yahoo made HotJobs suck.
Why didn’t I like YahooHotJobs?
As a jobseeker, it was the last place I would look. While it seemed pretty straight forward, the search functionality was not very good. I could search for a job in my town, select “local cities” and end up with jobs 2 states away. Granted, that is only like 70 miles, but still – hardly what I would consider local! If i wanted to refine, I could select individual cities…one by one…ugh. Most of the jobs on there were also posted on Careerbuilder or on Monster.com and the site was a bit of a waste of time with limited to no new information.
As a recruiter, it was the last place we would ever post a job. With the exception of certain pockets of the country, quite honestly, we never got responses that were unique to hot jobs. This was on all types of jobs – all different locations of the country – all different companies. It was like the nice guy that everyone knew but no one ever asked out.
As a entrepreneurial spirit, I felt like they were wasting a good thing. In the land of google we now live in, lets think back to 2002 and remember how prevalent Yahoo was. They were really positioned to really launch this and instead it got lost in Oooh Shineyland – which is where a lot of companies lose their way (seriously – focus on one thing well don’t try to do everything at once poorly)
Why do I like this acquisition?
The job seekers Win!!
One less place to search. One fewer job board that has bad technology fighting for the attention. Combined forces could result in even more improvements to the product and in the long run. Less competition for $$ means more jobs potentially being posted which means easier/faster response to getting a new job.
As a Recruiter, I am saving money!
For the most part – HotJobs was not as widely used of a product, and many of the companies who did use it were posting it in conjunction with something else – so a lot of them will be able to cut some $$ out of their budgets and reallocate it elsewhere (hmm…like a new ATS or the GenYUnconference…or whatever, just some ideas)
Because it was the right buyer…from a business perspective.
With Monster being the buyer – HotJobs will finally have someone that has an interest in the market and making it a better product. I don’t know, but I would assume that “hotjobs” is just going away and Monster will integrate into all of the networks (including Yahoo.com) that HotJobs was a part of.
Also, this means we’ll get to see more of Trump. (I hope it won’t be with drag queens on the streets of NYC though)
Today’s guest post comes to us from Edita Isufi a future HR Leader and a student in Steve Boese’s HR Technology Class.
I came to the United States all the way from Kosovo, the youngest European country that is still struggling to find its identity in Europe. Right after its independence, three years ago, it was referred to as the “United State’s 53rd state” because of the close political relationship we had built with them during the war.
Now, three years later, Kosovo still lacks economic stability and social welfare as well as employment opportunities. If you really think of these sensitive issues that are essential for national development you get lost within them and forget about HR and human capital that directly contribute to the problem.
So, before coming to United States I came across an article that talked about how HR professionals must become strategic partners in organizational decision making. For a second I remember asking myself: Ok, but what about HR? Do we really have one?
I was so isolated hearing about all those political and economic problems that I couldn’t really find the logic behind the role of HR in all this. Hence, I wanted to explore and learn more about what HR can do to develop talent and how the right talent that meets organizational goals can be found.
This is exactly one of the reasons why I decided to pursue my master’s degree In Human Resource Development in the United States.
Before I go further, here are a couple of “reasons” why organizations ignore the importance of HR in Kosovo:
- High unemployment rate (around 60%) make organizations consider the right talent for granted because there is always more demand for jobs than supply.
- HR does nothing else except for hiring, firing and payroll so why spend money for an HR department when we can have the management itself do that function when there is a need for talent.
- We still have to focus on issue like economic instability and inflation hence HR is not a priority.
There are many organizations in Kosovo that believe in HR and its future as strategic partner. However, few of them have sort of a general idea of what a strategic partner really means; yet few know about the selection, development and retention programs without even mentioning succession planning. I have to admit, succession planning was a totally new term for me too. ☺
And I know it sounds like I am making a comparison between United States and Kosovo and it would be stupid if I did. However, I know that that’s what the organizations worldwide are striving for and it’s all about human capital. Well, guess what, Kosovo will have to start thinking about it too because nothing and none is going to wait or care if it can make it to compete globally or not.
At the end of this year, I will be leaving United States for good and I know that I am transferring valuable knowledge with me. What really frightens me, if that’s the right word to use, is if I can apply what I have learned about HR to my workplace too. As far as I know, there are few or no HR professionals back there and if you don’t have people to work on HR development then it will be tough to go on this journey alone.
So, where do I start? Where do all people like me start? Can social media make a change in the way people think about HR? Do we have to send more students abroad to learn about HR? How do I get to convince organizations that HR really matters and that after all it’s the human capital that leads to economic growth?
Blame the sub-zero temperatures outside, or the fact that the #genYunconference dates have to change, or that I’m just feeling a bit sassy today – but this week I am rolling out a #WTF Friday post – because, well, this week a lot of stuff made me think that.
I’m setting my sites on Social Media Experts AKA Guru’s or Rockstars.
I am not a social media expert. Guess what, neither are you! You may have a lot of followers and make money convincing other people you are – but you (more than likely) aren’t.
How do I know this? Because:
- Your “expert” status is self imposed. No one else called you that. If they did -it was someone that you were just introducing twitter (or something else) too so they are way off the skew of what they consider and expert and don’t count..
- You tell me. Seriously? Do I even need to explain this one? Ok..read on
- When I follow you (back) on twitter you respond with an automated DM telling me you are and “expert, guru, rockstar, etc” and then frequently include a link back to the latest “e-book” you’ve written on the subject. #lame
While I’m on the subject – STOP USING THE TERM ROCKSTAR!!!! Seriously. Enough. It has made its way onto a gazillion blogs lately – a few were obviously done in a more sarcastic term – but the majority think they are serious. WE ARE NOT ROCKSTARS – There are not really HR, Accounting or any other job in corporate America Rockstars. There are people that kick a$$ at their jobs – but still, they are not rockstars.
Seriously. Please. Stop.
To Clarify: “Rockstar” – If you are using that term in anyway but sarcastically, well, I just have nothing else to say. We work in corporate america. We are not rockstars. We are not even real stars. And for most of you – you don’t even Rock.
I was up and out of the house by 7 am with hair done (ie. no ponytail), make up on and dressed (ie. no yoga pants).
I went to breakfast meetings, tweetup’s, business lunches and seminar’s on social media. And I did it all in heels – 4″ black Nine West Stiletto’s to be exact.
Yesterday, I met someone for lunch at the (Formerly known as) Sears Tower. As I stood in the lobby waiting, hundreds of guys rushing by with smiles on their faces and comfy shoes on their feet – all I could think about were my comfy Merrell’s that were waiting for me in the car.
It then made me think about corporate dress codes and just how silly they are when you really think about it. People should be allowed to dress in what they want for the job they have. We are grown ups.
Does the guy at McDonalds flip better burgers because of his starched button up short sleeve shirt instead of a t-shirt with the company logo? Does the kid that delivers mail in corporate america really need to be wasting the $27,000 a year his degree from an overpriced university is paying him to get his foot in the door to buy suits to wear to work? Does my wearing pajamas yoga pants all day make me less able to analyze spreadsheets and make decisions?
Ummm. NO!
The ERE Foundation Charity Poker Game is Back and I am THRILLED WE GOT A REAL SITE THIS TIME!
So – Make sure you check out the Poker Game Page and get all the details and register!
I’ll see you with your best po po po po poker face in March!!
You have seen the tweets, heard the rumors and now, it’s really happening:
A few months ago my 8 year old gave me an extensive layout of Why He’d rather work at Starbucks. Today, he won a statewide speech contest for 3rd graders about the impact of MLK Jr and we didn’t know he had entered it. And no, it has nothing to do with recruiting, social media or whatever, but its Martin Luther King, Jr day and I thought it was awesome so here’s a little of it.
Martin Luther King Jr is a very important person to me and a big inspiration to me. Whenever I have a challenge I think of all the challenges Martin faced. He taught me that words are the way to change something – not violence. When I am nervous in front of crowds – I think of his “I have a dream” speech that he gave in front of thousands of people. I think he was a very brave man for standing up for what he believes in. When I grow up I hope to be a leader like him.
I found his last statement amazingly telling on just how far we have come – in 40 years – he looks and sees a great leader who fought for what he believes in. His friends come from every racial background and socioeconomic group. He see’s someone who achieved a goal. He sees what the future will be through the eyes of an 8 year old who will never know it any other way.
For me, social networking is part of my job. Its a portion of how I brand our business. Its a way to cultivate relationships with partners, clients and influencers. Its how I keep up to date on what other vendors are doing.
It’s also been instrumental in my conversion of my blog from ERE to ImSoCorporate.com this fall. It has been through RT’s on twitter and networkedblogs.com on facebook – that I have met some really smart, interesting people.
On the flip side, if you follow my tweets – you know that it is about more than that to me as well. On a personal level – it has blurred that line between totally professional relationships, pseudo-friendships and in some cases, true friendships and relationships that will last a very long time.
I’ve gotten some advice from someone that I respect to change how I am online. That my ‘image’ isn’t what I want it to be and supplied some advice on perceptions of me. I thought a lot about it. A lot. It was the inspiration behind my 2010: Twitter post. It has caused me a internal debate and discussion. It has honestly caused a little bit of writer’s block.
It caused doubt.
I don’t live my life with doubt. I can’t. I don’t have the time, energy or emotional attachment to do so. Doubt to me is no different than failure.
So, Here is why I like social networking and why I’m not changing too much.
1. In person, I am kinda shy. For those of you that only know “online me” this is typically a bit of a shocker. In fact, I do a pretty good job hiding it (usually via a cosmo or xanax) but know that I am actually really uncomfortable talking to you when we meet. You make me nervous and i’m a bit intimidated. As someone who is super uncomfortable in a 1-1 setting or in a small group of people, it has been a really interesting way to build relationships without the anxiety and fear that would normally stop us from meeting.
2. It allows me to be less judgmental. I’m not sure if she remembers, but the first time I met Laurie (PunkRockHR.com) she really, really didn’t like me. And to be fair, I felt the same way. We had next to nothing in common and that was the end of it. It was because of conversations we started having via social networking, tweets about life, books, etc that we discovered we had way more in common than I ever imagined. Social networking lets you watch, observe and learn about someone over time – not just that chance encounter – if you give it a chance.
3. It keeps me from talking to myself. I work at home. Alone in my basement. Its kinda boring down here – so while I work, I listen to music or get random Facebook Messages, IM’s & DM’s throughout the day from other people that are in the same situation. Its like our version of running into someone my the water cooler, or popping our head over the cube. Its like a little insulated support network that reads over each others blogs before they go public, helps get us unstuck when we can’t figure out how to do something on our new mac or just someone saying Hi.
4. I learn stuff. A lot of stuff from a lot of people who are way smarter than I am. Sometimes it isn’t so much of learning as it is a new perspective that I hadn’t considered before. I love to constantly be expanding my mind and learning new things – even when they are totally random.
5. I can do it on my own time. Unlike webinars and meetings and whatever – I can do social networking while i am working, when I am at the gym, or sitting on my couch. It doesn’t matter to anyone else if I am there at a particular time as long as I get back to them. (This may go back to my commitment issues…hmm….)
6. I can just be me. (well, the me you would get if you knew me) I am who I am and people will judge me regardless. If you think I am a ‘party girl’ because I post pictures of us having fun at conferences – then you obviously choose not to see that I am also there at 8am tweeting on the sessions or know anything about me. Like many things, I am a bit of an aquired taste – you love me or you don’t and that is fine. My goal is to be me, not try and be who you think I should be.
7. I like the personal/social part of it. My goal in life isn’t to be friends with you. I’m not impressed by the fact that you have 40,000 readers on your blog or you speak at SHRM. I don’t really ready all your PR you send out. Honestly, who cares. That isn’t YOU.
8. I rarely travel where I am alone. Because of this network – anytime I travel – I have someone to grab lunch, dinner, drinks, etc with. It makes work trips much less boring and I usually end up making really great connections because of it.
9. Why not? That is all.
The answer is apparently. I won the Maren Hogan #Ammy for personal branding. (or something like that) Competition was stiff, but it was through a highly detailed discussion of multiple photographs and my clothing choices in each that it was determined that I have a personal brand that is fun, yet approachable. It almost sounded like they said ‘likable’ i won’t go to that stretch but… Anyhow, I’m just waiting on the official blog badge and we will be set. I have arrived and the traffic should start pouring in. Right? ;-)
Thanks, Animal, for knowing I even exist and keeping such great tabs on my pictures.
