Whether you are an employee, someone looking for a job, or a company owner, year-end and the pending new year is the time for reflection and planning.

Here is my guide on how to not screw it up.

Employee guide to get your shit together:

1. Yes, it’s natural to think of a new year as a new beginning, which often means a new job. Resist this temptation and really explore whether it’s just the timing, or that you really do need….really need, not just want, a new job.
2. If you are unemployed, review the past and determine what has worked and what has not worked in your search. Evaluate, assess, and refine your strategy. Commit to it.
3. Evaluate your current job first, before you decide you need a new one. The grass is not always greener. Are there things you can be doing in your current company and role to make the new year better? Have you explored these with your manager?
4. Take any vacation/holiday downtime for reflection and focus. Set goals. Get laser-focused on what you need. Establish a strategy to obtain it.
5. Be realistic. If you are going in a new career direction or not, be realistic with your expectations, timelines, and what you need to do to achieve your goals.
6. Cut yourself some slack. If the year did not go well, don’t dwell on it. Tomorrow is a new day.

Employer Guide to not annoy your employees:

1. I cringe when I hear about “two-day off-site planning meetings”. I owned three companies, but before I did, I worked for a lot of them. I cannot think of one company that I would enjoy spending two days with, basically working, away from my family. It sounds great to business owners, and they are totally into it. Your employees….some are, some aren’t. Either way, it’s an imposition.
2. Lead, lead, lead. This is your time to establish vision and mission. You drive the bus. Don’t ask your employees where they want to go. It’s your bus. They are either on it, or they can get off. But drive it well.
3. Engage. Contrary to #2, this is not the time to lecture or tell them “how it’s going to be”. There has to be engagement and involvement, just not in the big picture stuff.
4. Reward good work. If your company had a good year, reward your employees. Chances are they had more to do with it than you did.
5. If your company did not have a good year, lick your wounds, and get ready to battle again. Assess what went wrong, what didn’t work and set a new course. Be honest and open with yourself. This is not the time for your ego to get in the way.
6. Have fun. Eat lunch. Go out for drinks. Play.
7. Be flexible. People may need some extra time for family this time of year. Understand and allow this, but don’t allow this flexibility to be abused. Set the groundwork and expectations.
8. Set goals for the new year. Make them aggressive but achievable.
9. Follow through. Understand that when the next year comes around, whether you acknowledge them or not, your employees will remember the goals you set the previous year. Don’t hide from them if you did not achieve them.
10. Say “thanks”.

HR analyst at Software Advice, Erin Osterhaus, reports on the growth and changes from 2008-2013 in the HR industry.

http://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/industryview/hr-ecosystem/

Interesting to note is the continued trend of consolidation in the staffing industry. As a small staffing agency owner, it’s concerning to see the big get bigger. Talent can be underserved by these “corporate” brands, where there can exist a drive-thru fast food mentality to staffing. Firms built on relationships are often “closer” to talent but can find it harder and harder to get heard by big brands with large staffing vendor management services. Those firms in turn don’t have the best access to the best talent.

Not surprising is that staffing agencies comprise less of the list than they did in 2008. The industry obviously went through a slump during the recession and growth rates were hurt. Expect these numbers to rebound when reports look at 2014 and beyond.

In 1991, three friends from Portland, OR living in San Francisco signed up for a basketball league in Oakland, California. In the Bay Area, Oakland has the strongest reputation for good street basketball . And one thing these three knew about was playing street ball. Asphalt courts, chains for nets, double rimmed hoops, bad weather, uneven surfaces, it did not matter. They’d seen it all.

Growing up, they were every bit as good as their peers who played on the high school teams, but these three took other paths. With so much structure already in their lives from attending private high school, the option of playing under the looser reigns of city league ball appealed to them more. Plus, they just loved playing basketball, so it didn’t matter where they played or in what league so much as they just wanted to play, and to play together. They brought this “take anyone on” mentality to Oakland and later San Francisco forming a team named Bitter, and then, The Bittermen.

In existence in one form or another since ’91, the team had mostly disbanded until the opportunity to play the prison team at San Quentin every month became reality. As one of the team’s founders, and having moved away from San Francisco many years before, and officially being on injury-retirement, the chance to lace them up one more time for a once-in-a-lifetime experience was too much to pass up. I was headed to prison.

The first thing you notice about San Quentin prison is how pretty it is. Not so much the physical structure, though, having been built in 1852, it has a cool castle-like quality to it. It’s the setting you notice. San Quentin sits on San Francisco Bay in glorious sunshine. The day we arrived for our game versus the 40-year-old+ prison team, The Kings, we were even greeted by seals playing in the water as we gathered in the visitor’s parking lot.

Most times you have a basketball game, you are conscious of the need to be on time to allow for warm-ups, any stretching and of course to not forfeit by missing the tip off. While we were cognizant of the start time, our coach reminded us that it really doesn’t matter if we are a few minutes late. The prisoners aren’t going anywhere and are waiting for us regardless of when we show up.

San Quentin has the largest death-row population of any prison in the country. Charles Manson has lived there, and Scott Peterson is housed there now. And of course, San Quentin has a “no hostage” policy. My first thought when I heard that was, “oh, the prisoners are not allowed to take hostages. Well, that makes sense.” Um. No. The prisoners can take hostages all they want, but the prison guards will not negotiate with a prisoner who has taken a hostage. In other words, hostages are expendable thus rendering the act of taking hostages ineffective. The prisoner is shot and if you get in the way, that’s just the way it is.

To enter San Quentin and play requires passing a thorough background check. Even one unpaid parking ticket and you don’t get in. Looking back, and knowing the guys on the team, it is a bit of a wonder that we all cleared, but for the most part we’ve cleaned up our acts over the years. One player, coming out of retirement like myself, didn’t pass at the gate, and had to stay behind.

Entering the prison, on the other hand, was surprisingly easy. Once you pass through the main gate you have to walk along a road bordering the beautiful bay. You arrive at the building structure, avoid staring too long at the memorial to prison guards who lost their life in the line of duty, and enter another gate with another checkpoint. Gate opens, you enter another holding pen-type area, the gate behind you closes, enclosing you for a moment, ID’s are checked again and the forward gate opens and finally….you are inside. You enter a nice courtyard, peer back over your shoulder at death row, walk down a paved ramp around a corner, and there you are. In the Yard. The court is still another 100 yards away which gives you an opportunity to soak it all in. You soak in where you are, the lack of any control mechanism, and the need to stay close to your teammates. You know there are guards somewhere but you don’t see them. All you see are inmates hanging out, lifting weights, jogging, and just happy to be outside their cells. But, this isn’t a time to go exploring. You see the court and your mission is to get there quickly. You are there to play basketball not fraternize with convicted felons.

Yet….

Every single inmate player approached every Bitterman team member with a handshake and a hug of gratitude for coming to play the game. Every single one. And not just thanks, but warm and sincere thanks. Then before the game commenced, a gathering of players at center court for a speech, a prayer, and all hands…inmate and Bitterman, stacked together in the middle of the huddle for a shout of “family!”. However, given the way the inmates came out firing shots, throwing elbows, and playing lock down defense to start the game, the feeling of “family” quickly subsided.

The game was lost 67-50. To say that the inmates had a home court advantage is an understatement. The court is not level, the backboards crooked and made of wood, the wind swirls off the bay, and of course, there is the heckling from the crowd. That the Bittermen had won the previous game against The Kings probably did not help either. They came out seeking revenge and got it.

They all thanked us again for showing up. Though they had won the game, it seemed like they were just happy to have had the opportunity to play. And to have the connection with the outside. Another group circle at center court, some good-natured ribbing, and a final shout of “family!”

Family indeed.

Recently I read an article in an HR publication about attracting and retaining the Millennial workforce. Millennials want this it said, Millennials want that, benefits are a right not a perk, they want a voice, what makes this age group tick, what do they look for in a job and career, what makes them cry, you name it. To which I thought to myself, who cares what they want?

I care about my business. I care about my employees. I care about my customers. I care about doing the right thing. I care about having strong values, a strong vision, a strong mission, and follow through. If that means a Millennial is interested in working for my company, great. They will get the same attention and support that anyone working for me would.

What about what makes Gen Y, the Silent Generation, the Baby Boomers, men, women, body-snatchers, pod people, old, young, gray, and tattooed people, tick? Companies will do well to not cater to a specific segment. Instead, they need to establish quality values and live by them. Most of what I read about what Millennials want in their careers strike me as things that any good company with strong values, that tries to do right by their employees, would have present already.

Companies that think reading an article and implementing some Millennial-friendly policies is going to transform them into a Millenial talent attraction machine are deluding themselves. Once on board, the Millenials will see through the façade. At worst, they will feel betrayed and unfulfilled. So unless you are going to commit to wholesale changes, your success in talent attraction will be fleeting.

Start by building a company with strong values. Implement sound talent management strategies to effectively manage and develop your workforce. Focus on having a strong employer brand. Communicate your vision to prospective employees. Engage and establish clear expectations. Always be recruiting. Be a responsible employer. Listen. Observe. Be flexible.

Attraction and retention have just been achieved.

The results are in from Software Advice and social media has gained traction in the way employers find talent. Not only has social media usage in recruitment increased, the quality of candidates hired from these sources surpasses many traditional recruitment sources. It’s no wonder then that employers are focusing their growth strategies through expanded use of social media.

Here’s a bit about the survey and its results:

The data indicates that, despite the explosion of niche careers sites and social media-enabled applicant tracking systems, the top three most used channels continue to be the old stand-bys: employee referrals, traditional job boards, and company careers pages.

But despite these three channels being the most used, social-media based recruiting should not be discounted as a sourcing channel. In fact, when recruiters were asked which channels delivered the greatest quantity of candidates, social media ranked third.

In addition, when recruiters were asked to rank which channels delivered the best quality of candidates, social media ranked second, outstripping traditional job boards and company careers pages.

If social media’s dominance in the quality and quantity of hires doesn’t convince you of its staying power, almost 50 percent of respondents claimed they planned on increasing their investment in social media recruiting in 2013.  Social, it seems, is here to stay.

You can read more about the results over at The New Talent Times.

Employer branding, recruitment branding…whatever you call it, it is all about branding. How your company connects with potential employees matters. And, it’s usually overlooked.

I read a lot about the challenge companies have in attracting and hiring talent. I suspect that these firms are not doing an adequate job marketing themselves. In fact, I know they are not. Hiring is not all about you. It’s a two-way street. Why does someone want to work for you? What is your compelling story?

Erin Osterhaus wrote a story about this on Software Advice‘s HR blog, The New Talent Times. You can find it here:

http://new-talent-times.softwareadvice.com/you-dont-have-a-recruiting-problem-213/

http://www.jobjenny.com/the-blog/2012/11/16/ask-the-experts-dont-send-a-resume-that-smells-like-pizza-an.html

What is a personal brand? Your personal brand is not only who you are, it’s how others see you. Employers. Co-workers. Future employers. Clients.

A good way to think about this is to think about you as packaging on a shelf. I hate to take it to this level, but if you are looking for work, this is how employers think. They are looking for the “product” that best fits their need.

Now, if this sounds unappealing, think about this: Unlike the product on the shelf, you have a choice as to who’s shopping cart you go for a ride in! So while you build and develop a brand, remember your brand always has the ability to ask whether you are a fit with the organization looking to hire you. That is one of the cards you hold.

Examples of a personal brand could be:

Aspiring copywriter with a flair for humor
Account planner focused on brand strategy
Client services professional dedicated to great customer service

Things to remember and keep in mind when developing and refining your brand.

• Be consistent
• Define who you are/what you want. Unless you have no definition. That’s a brand too. But don’t expect someone else to figure you out.
• If you don’t know what you want, focus on who you are. Try to have one of these set especially if you are looking for work.
• View yourself as others will and build how you want them to see you.
• Know yourself.
• Be confident in your abilities.
• Know your strengths and weaknesses.

You have something to offer. It’s your job to effectively communicate what that is. There are people/employers out there that will figure it out themselves but you can’t rely on that.

What if you are still trying to figure out your next steps or what your brand is? That’s OK too, but be aware of the messages and content you are “putting out there”. Every message has the potential to influence your brand.

Social media is now where our personal brands often live.

Linkedin is your brand at work.
Facebook is your brand at play.
Twitter is your brand speaking.

If you are looking for a job, you send your resume to a company – What is the first thing an employer does when they get your resume and are potentially interested in your background? They immediately go to your Linkedin page to see what you look like. But, they are also digging deeper into your background and experience and looking for consistencies or inconsistencies in your background. If your Linkedin profile does not match or support your resume, it sends a bad signal to the employer. They are left to question why there are inconsistencies. People are busy. They may not take the time to try to figure out why you have an inconsistent message.

Your Linkedin profile is your chance to really impress, expand upon and support what is listed in your resume.
The use of Linkedin has exploded in the last 12-24 months. It’s hiring voyeurism.

Linkedin is your on-line resume and a very powerful job search tool.

Do:

• Put a picture up. You can make this invisible to people you aren’t connected with. Why would you do this? In case you do not want people either making judgments based on how you look, privacy.
• Write a compelling summary. Keep it short but sweet. It can grow as your career grows.
• Write a summary/bio that tells people who you are, what you are, and some of your accomplishments. Summarize your “brand”
• Constantly develop your network/add connections.
• Get recommended. And recommend people back.
• Join Groups related to your career interests.
• Complete your profile – add details and accomplishments to your work history.
• Be careful in selecting a title – make it mean something.

Don’t:

• Put in too much personal information
• Look nude in your photo
• Use abbreviations – spell things out
• Use Linkedin too aggressively when looking for a job – example – you send your resume to HR at a company, and then find the HR person at that company and send them a note through Linkedin. Too forward.

Your resume supports your brand. It needs to be consistent with Linkedin. This helps support and furthers your brand.

Don’t believe what they all say about employers and Facebook – yes, employers will try to look at your profile and make judgments on what you are doing. There have been many articles scaring people into believing that HR will disqualify people based on their FB activity. There has also been just as many articles that indicate employers want to see you out socializing. This indicates that you have a healthy social life and can potentially be a good teammate and connect well with clients and vendors.

Twitter is your brand speaking. Be cognizant of what you post. Try to either strike a balance between your personal and professional or consider separate accounts. If you are branding yourself an expert or have passion in a particular area, support this through your Tweets.

All this activity that you do and all this content that you are putting out there, supports what you are saying when you are in interview situations.

For example, you go into an interview as the “aspiring copywriter with the flair for humor” and the writing on your Linkedin has no humor or no flair, your brand is not consistent. If you, however, have some compelling writing, are connected with Linkedin groups that are industry specific, and have Twitter feeds and posts based on writing, industry news, ad campaigns you find are well done, etc., you begin to form a more consistent brand.

Communication and appearance are also big aspects to your brand. This can be the “experience” of your brand. The employer has taken the package off the shelf and may be interacting with the product. What is the experience they have when interacting with your brand?

If you are super casual and want to work in a place that is super casual, that kind of appearance may become part of your brand. But be aware that I may not fit everyplace. Be keenly aware of your brand perception.

In summary – your brand is your package. It’s the look and feel. It’s the wording. It’s the product itself. The benefits of using the product. How you feel when interacting with the product.

The product on the shelf. You.

This is a special edition for all you soon to be graduates. But, most of what is here applies to anyone with or without a portfolio. And while these are rules, remember, rules can be broken. This is more of a guide and really, you can overthink this stuff too. Comforting I know.

Some of these rules apply to physical books and others specifically to on-line. You can figure out which is which.

Make it about the work. The idea here is to not make it about the case or box your work is in. Give the case the attention it deserves, make it nice, but don’t go overboard. A vintage suitcase filled with a poor portfolio? Only the suitcase is remembered.

Only show work you like. Hopefully, this is also your best work. Don’t show work you don’t like unless it tells a successful story. The project you had to crank on all night because of a late change-order and the client loved it. In general, if you don’t like the work, or it was not successful, why are you showing it?

Show the thought that went into the work. Concepts are good. Sketches are great. People love to see how you think.

Not too much, not too little. The whole presentation should last about 30 minutes. Don’t show too much work and don’t show too little. Multiple pieces in a campaign count as one piece. It’s good to have 12-15 pieces. If you are just graduating and you are worried that you don’t have this much, try to get to 10. Fewer than 10 is too little. One way to increase the number if you are coming out of school….have friends and family “assign” you projects. Don’t do it yourself. You may pick stuff that is too easy. Try to freelance too to get portfolio pieces.

Show variety. Show that your creative mind is nimble. Don’t focus on one industry. Don’t show just one style.

Start with a bang and end with a bang. Put great work first and last. Don’t show work chronologically.

What about my photography of kittens? Hmmm….maybe not. Work that is not relevant to the jobs you are interviewing for can be great if it paints a bigger picture of who you are and the breadth of your creativity. It can also detract and backfire. Think about it. If it’s really a strong part of what makes you, your brand, go for it.

Make it easy. Realize you may not be present to walk someone through your work. Provide descriptors as to the project, the creative brief, and some words around your execution. The viewer needs to understand why you did what you did without you telling them.

Be organized. Don’t end the presentation with 15 pieces spread over a table unless you are just that crazy throwing stuff around.

Make a nice user experience. Don’t make the viewer look too hard to find the work on your site. It should be easy to access, easy to view.

Never make the viewer work too hard. They just may not do it.

If you have a freelance business, but are also looking for a job, you need to make it clear which is which. Don’t point someone to a website that comes across like an agency site if it’s just you. You may need to change things a bit. I’m Bob who runs Bob Design; I’m not Bob Design per se right now, because Bob wants a job. Get it?

Make your portfolio part of a presentation. How you show the work can be as important as the work. If you can’t speak to why you did what you did, or what problem it solved, why did you do it? Practice your presentation. You are also viewed on how you present as you may be presenting your employer’s work some day to a potential client.

Breathe. Do your best. Try to leave every meeting comfortable that you did the best you could.

…thanks for Jeremy Pair, two more points…

Give credit. Make sure you indicate your role in the project, and give credit to others when due. Believe it or not, I have seen the same piece in multiple portfolios with each person taking credit. Someone is not telling the truth!

And, indicate what is a student piece and what is not where applicable.

Enjoy!

I approach a lot of agency principals to discuss their approach to their company cultures, personnel and the benefits of sound talent management policies on their staffs and their businesses. I ask questions like, “does your staff have clear expectations in their roles and do you provide on –going performance management and development to help them achieve those goals? “Are their goals in alignment with your business goals?” A get a lot of blank stares, nods to let me know they realize I’ve stopped talking and a lot of “oh yeah, we do that” responses when in reality I know they don’t do that. Many of these responses, or similar ones, come from men.

But I started to notice something interesting when I brought up the same questions with female agency principals. A lot of them said that they do in fact have performance management systems, that they have someone on staff who guides and nurtures their staff and the culture of the agency, or they have consulted with someone like me in the past. They tell me they talk about this stuff internally all the time. That it’s a big part of their business.

Do women get the concept of culture and sound talent management driving business success better than men? Are women more in tune to the needs of their employees? Is their inherent nurturing behavior creating more nurturing places to work? As a guy I understand the typical responses of male business owners. “they’re lucky they get a paycheck.” “I pay them for their work, and pay them well. What more do they need?” Men aren’t always as interested in the “soft” sides of their business. Bad mistake.

Employees want to feel like they are taken care of. That they are appreciated. Women might naturally do this better than men. Of course, I’ve seen women who were terrible managers and those who don’t pay much attention to the happiness of their employees. And I’ve seen men who were great at people skills, and great at supporting and empowering employees to succeed through sound management and growth. Some of them are clients and they get it.

It just seems to me in my current travels that I’ve seen more agencies run by women that had a better handle on their people issues than agencies run by men. Sorry guys, you’ve got some work to do.

Oh boy this is gonna be a good one! ‘Cause no one knows what they are doing!

Social media kind of just went splat on our windows and everyone is trying to figure out what to do with it. It gets really complicated when you mix employers with employees and a level of communication that makes things really transparent. And social media negatively or positively affects your personal brand and your company brand. And you have little control over certain aspects of social media. Uh oh.

So what to do?

Employers listen up. You need to establish social media guidelines as company policy. Think common sense. Don’t think George Orwell. I’ve seen some really heavy-handed policies and some really unrealistic expectations of your employees.

It’s OK to tell employees they cannot trash the company, clients, staff, etc. on social media. You have your business to protect and are allowed to do it. No divulging of trade secrets and any confidential information. Be respectful. Be judicious. Common sense stuff. Fine.

It’s not OK to dictate to them what they can post unless it has to do with your company. For example, an employee’s LinkedIn profile is their profile. Don’t tell them what to put on their profile about your company. You can provide suggestions, or marketing-speak to help them represent you well, but they own their profile. They don’t have to do what you say. It’s about them, not you. Unless of course, they are managing your Company’s page or a Group if you have one. Then they are acting as an agent of your firm on social media and you can have more control over that. Telling employees that they have to follow a company-crafted description of the company in their profile is heavy-handed and not fair.

Facebook. Don’t go there. Unless it’s your company’s FB page. Do not friend your employees. Or if you do, don’t follow their feeds. This may sound harsh, but think about it. You see a post from an employee to another employee that seems inappropriate. Maybe harassment. What do you do? You can’t ignore it. You have to address it as if it happened in the office right in front of you. It is best to not expose yourself to this stuff in the first place. Not acting could mean that you condone the behavior.

Is the mobile device that your employee uses for personal social media something you provided them in their job? If so, you own the messages sent through that device. Their work computer is an obvious but people don’t always think of their mobile devices as company property. Twitter posts and Facebook posts done through those devices are under stricter rules than messages sent on personal computers. Hmmm, that poses some issues for both the employer and the….

Employee. Next up: How employees should manage their social media profiles and posts as it relates to their professional brand and their job.

One of my favorite movies is Soylent Green. Not because it’s a great movie, but because it’s a great concept and of course, Charlton Heston is classic. No one else could yell like he could. Soylent Green is people!

Which brings me to a common practice in the staffing industry but one I have always found distasteful: The marketing of people.

For a lot of staffing companies, their product is the talent they represent. Their product is people. And to let the market know they have the best people, they market them and their skills usually through blanket e-mails and marketing materials to clients and prospect clients.

Meet “Mark”. “Mark” is a skilled web developer with great digital agency experience. He’s ready to work for your great digital agency. He has experience in HTML, CSS, has worked on big budget sites….he’s available now. Schedule a meeting soon!

I don’t know. Makes me feel like “Mark” is a product/package on a shelf. Where is the nuance of finding the best fit? Just because “Mark” has great skills and great experience does not mean he can just be slotted into roles and companies to do his thing and all will be great.

There is more to making a match than matching a resume and a job description. A lot more. Like looking into cultural fit. And looking into organizational/structural fit. And asking, “can I see “Mark” being happy working for this company?”

Besides, I’m pretty sure “Mark” is a real person with real feelings on where he wants to work. And does “Mark” really want to be “shopped” around town to the highest bidder?

On many levels I have never agreed with this staffing industry practice of marketing people. If you meet someone whom you think would work great for one of your clients, or vice versa, that’s different. You might help someone find a great job or a company make a strategic hire. But just sending faceless campaigns? Just peddling people?

Something does not taste right about it. Now, soylent green? That might taste good.

John Lennon once sang…. All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth

What I hear from most job seekers is gimme some closure.

The number one complaint candidates for jobs relate to me is that they never hear back from the companies where they interviewed. Had interviews, never heard anything. Sent my resume, never heard anything.

For employers, here is why you should acknowledge people who send resumes and call back people who have interviewed but you did not hire: people talk.

And they are talking in new ways. According to Fast Company, not only are they talking, they are taking it to social media.

http://tinyurl.com/3z2np5y

But, the reasons to reply to people are not to only protect your brand and your reputation. For one, it’s the right thing to do. Second, while the candidate may not be right for your current opening, they may be right in the future for something else with your organization. And, this is not only your brand; this is your recruitment brand. People talk and their network has heard that you, as an employer, do not treat job candidates with respect.

That network may include people you may want to hire. The candidate you did not call back may be a friend to the candidate you do want to hire. Think of the message you are giving both.

Your brand is damaged. Your ability to hire is damaged.

Do they right thing.

Give some closure.

The golden rule – you cannot change who you are or what your experience is. But you can change how you present your background.

The resume serves one purpose – to get you the meeting/interview. Don’t do anything on the resume to hurt this.

Do not misspell anything. Use proper grammar. Have someone else proofread.

Use a pleasing layout. White space counts.

No Times New Roman. No MS Word template.

Do not over design. An identity is fine, a logo mark is fine. Graphical elements and an overuse of color are not.

Have a professional e-mail address.

Do not send your resume from your current employer’s e-mail. Do not communicate with a prospective employer using your current employer’s e-mail.

If your cell phone is listed, don’t answer your cell phone with “yo, what’s up?” “Who is this?” or other ways that sound unprofessional.

If you are at least two years out of school, educational information can move to the bottom.

There are three kinds of resumes: chronological, functional, and a blend of the two.

You should expect a resume to be reviewed in 30 seconds. Get your point across quickly and clearly.

Never more than two pages. Never.

Be honest.

Use action verbs but avoid buzzwords. “Think outside of the box” was never a good phrase.

Highlight accomplishments.

Never, ever make the reviewer work too hard to find out who you are and what you’ve done. It’s not their job to figure out who you are. It’s your job to communicate it clearly.

Your interests are your interests. Be careful what you list if you list them.

Don’t hype or exaggerate.

If you are a designer, also have a “snapshot” PDF portfolio to send as well. Don’t include your whole book. Leave them wanting more.

Write a good cover letter.

If you use humor, use it sparingly and smartly. Make sure you’re funny.

Package and market yourself with the same attention that you do your clients.

The basics of Recruitment Branding

Reading a recent eye-opening article in Ad Age: Left to Fend for Themselves, Employees Feel No Loyalty to Agencies.

I was reminded that agencies still don’t understand the power of their own staff, and why they should closely manage and grow this asset. It reminded me that I should dust off a whitepaper I wrote on recruitment branding. Recruitment branding is a misnomer; it’s really about retention. Smart agencies know that talent wins the game and they work hard to attract and retain employees. Retention is really the best recruiting strategy. But to grow, you need to attract. When I managed culture and HR for an agency, we had a reputation as one of the best agencies to work for in town. We had people pounding down our doors to work for us. That is the goal in the war for talent and the result of sound recruitment branding.

Benefits of an effective recruitment brand (as listed by idealpeople ltd.)

• Motivates ‘target’ candidates to choose you as an employer

When you are “chosen” you are positioned well in salary negotiations. You do not have to throw money at people to join your organization. They want to join already.

• Promotes strong external Public Relations through ‘word of mouth’.
• Allows for greater consistency of message when ‘selling’ to applicants during the hiring process.
• Enables external recruiters to accurately explain your mission, culture, ethics and goals to potential candidates without direct experience of having worked as an employee of the business.
• Strengthens internal philosophy in what teams of individuals are trying to achieve as a whole and improves retention.

As your recruitment brand is strengthened and you begin to successfully attract the best and most talented candidates, you evolve into an Employer of Choice.

The rules of recruitment branding:

1. Know your company’s compelling story – why should someone want to work for you? The compelling story also becomes part of the culture.
2. Know what former employees say about your company – make sure you conduct honest, exploratory exit interviews.
3. Realize hiring is a 2-way street – have open dialogue during the interview process. It’s not just about you the employer.
4. Don’t have a candidate be grilled by potential future peers in a group interview. The peer interview should only support the hiring managers and company executive interviews…the decision makers.
5. Respond to every applicant that contacts you.
6. Personally call anyone who has interviewed that did not get hired.
7. Hire attitude over skill if possible. Skills can be learned, attitude is ingrained.
8. Realize your brand starts before they send their resume.
9. Have a hiring process and stick to it. “Post job” is not a process.
10. Be honest.
11. On boarding does not mean filling out paperwork. Be prepared and ready for someone to start his or her first day. Have a plan for them. Welcome them.
12. Have growth plans in place for the whole organization. These are “living” documents that constantly change but establish this structure early.
13. Understand that people will leave your company. This can be a positive thing. But will they come back if you want them to?
14. Keep a pool of future hires that fit your company culture and have the right attitude. Realize that sometimes the candidate may be right for your company but the timing or current opportunity is wrong. Be able to find this candidate in the future by staying engaged with them.

Recruitment branding takes work and it takes ownership. It could be one reason why so many agencies don’t pay attention to it. But putting the process in place and instilling it into the way you conduct business will change your recruiting cycles and make you more nimble and successful in growth.