How to Optimise Social Media to Sell Your Company Culture

How to Optimise Social Media to Sell Your Company Culture For those job hunting and researching your company online, a candidate’s typical user journey will begin by visiting your website, specifically a careers page of some sort. They’ll probably go and look for company reviews on sites like Glassdoor to try and build a picture of what it’s like to work for your organization. Candidates will also go one step further and not only look at your company on social media but they’ll do some investigation in looking at the social profiles of your employees as well as any specific career-related social profiles you may have. Therefore, it’s vitally important to ensure that you are using social media in the most optimised way to sell your company culture to attract talent. It is crucial that you have a social media presence on channels where your talent pools are active. Hiring millennials? Look at channels like Snapchat where huge numbers of 25 and under are snapping multiple times a day to their networks. Hiring in China? Then you’re not going to use Facebook as a channel to attract Chinese talent due to government restrictions on service in that country. Can you showcase your company culture in pictures on channels like Instagram? Does your target audience for talent even exist on that channel? Do your research. Know your target audience. Know what channels they’re active on, and strategize around what they can engage with and where. Use Your Employees There’s nothing more powerful than employees telling their own stories about what it’s like to work at your company. Invest in empowering your workforce to be brand ambassadors: Train them up Create a hashtag and let them join the conversation Collaborate with them to create careers content that can be shared on social media When you have an active employee base of brand ambassadors that can complement your own corporate and career social profiles, you have a winning formula for well-rounded company culture messaging. Candidates will look at the profiles of your employees who they may be potentially working with, or being interviewed by. If they see how great it is to work at your company through these profiles, they’re going to naturally be impressed. It’s crucial to ensure hiring managers are driving their teams to be brand ambassadors online, as well as setting a good example themselves. If hiring managers at your organization want the best talent to join their teams yet they’re not going out of their way to be advocates for showcasing why your company is a great place to work, then you have an internal issue that needs serious change management. Use your people. They are the lifeblood of your company. Seek the highly enthused advocates in the workplace and give them the tools to shout about your company externally on social media. Use Your Recruiters If you are a company in a competitive arena for talent, and your recruitment team is scouring the industry for high achieving, passive potential candidates, then it’s highly likely that your recruiters will be the candidates first point of contact from your organization, and first impressions count. Granted, it’s down to the communication skills of the recruiter in the way they position the opportunity that can influence a candidate’s decision to progress forward in the recruitment process but it’s equally crucial that their social profiles are fully representative of the brand and ready to “wow” candidates. Aside from representing the company well on social media, think about using your recruiters as content generators. What are the reoccurring themes that come up in candidate screening calls? What are the most common questions they get asked? Are these the type of things that can be turned into blogs and infographic content, ready to be shared on social media? Leverage your recruiters. They live and breathe on a day to day basis the true value of your company’s brand in the marketplace. Empower them to be Brand ambassadors like the rest of your workforce and seek their knowledge, and turn it into ideas for careers generated content to attract candidates. Use Social Advocacy Tools Now you have fantastic company social profiles that showcase your incredible company culture and your recruiters, hiring managers and general employees are posting about how great it is to work at your company, what’s next? Budget permitting, investing in a social advocacy tool is always a great way to leverage your employees’ individual networks on social media through pushing brand approved content out autonomously. Personally, I would recommend as many organic posts as possible when it comes to employees posting on social, but social advocacy tools are extremely complimentary and make for ease of sharing content for employees, which is a great way to get their buy-in. Many tools have gamification functionality, meaning you have the potential to reward the real brand ambassadors at your organization who’ve been the most active. Initiatives like this are great for morale and employee engagement internally, whilst benefiting externally from their social sharing activity in amplifying your employer brand. In summary of how to best use social media as a tool to showcase your company culture; Select the correct channels that match your target audience for talent, train up and generate content with your employees and recruiters to be Brand ambassadors on social media, and invest in a social advocacy tool to automate the social posting activity across your workforce. About the author: Stuart Hazell, is an Employer Branding and Social Media expert at CA Technologies. His work helps to increase CA’s employer brand through bespoke recruitment marketing strategies.

Why a Project Management Career Can Weather the Economic Storm

Why a Project Management Career Can Weather the Economic Storm At a time of political and economic uncertainty, it can be a challenge for recruiters and employers to attract new talent â€" and retain quality staff. Yet according to new research, project management seems to be one profession bucking that trend. Away from the doom and gloom of the news headlines, our annual ‘Salary and Market Trends Survey’ has revealed that nearly eight out of 10 (77 percent) of project professionals are optimistic about the supply of jobs in the project profession over the next five years and more than two thirds (70 percent) are expecting pay increases in the next 12 months. Likewise, confidence around project professionals’ own economic prospects has also grown, rising to 56 percent this year from the 43 percent who rated it as excellent or good in 2017. Positively 49 percent of respondents cited that their organization is growing and bringing in new staff â€" great news for recruiters. More than a third of respondents also stated that they are likely to change employer within the next year. There’s good news for employers too, with job satisfaction levels markedly high. 81 percent of project professionals stated they are satisfied in their current roles, compared to 77 percent in 2015. So, positive news so far, however, there’s still room for improvement. Together, we need to increase the visibility of the project profession as a viable and positive career choice across businesses and promote its sustainability and financial rewards. We need to work harder to increase the perception of the value project management brings to a business and develop clearer career paths to encourage more into the profession. Closing the gap in gendered pay will help to attract more women to project management and ensure that those who remain in the profession feel valued. Our survey reveals that men are now earning 24 percent more than women in 2018, compared to 30 percent in 2017. Certainly not an even balance, but a positive trend that we’re keen to help continue. Projecting the future Perhaps the most heartening of our survey findings though are the perceptions held by the next-generation. Among younger project professionals there is a particularly positive sentiment about the future with 78 percent of 18-24s rating their own economic prospects as either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. This same group was also the most positive that there would be a good supply of jobs in project management over the next five years. It is this encouraging outlook that could help our profession ride out any uncertainty faced by the UK in the months and years to come. While also fuelling innovation in many different sectors and offering new or existing project professionals the chance of an attractive and sustainable career path full of increased learning opportunities and rewarding professional development. After all, let’s remember that nurturing talent remains crucial, whatever the weather. About the author: Debbie Dore is Chief Executive of the Association for Project Management (APM), having been previously Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Operating Officer.  Prior to joining  APM, Debbie served as a senior executive at Oxford University Press and on the board at Swets Information Services delivering global transformation projects across sales, IT and customer service.   Having had responsibility for teams in 25 countries, Debbie has extensive international experience and has a proven track record in delivering significant business change programmes, driving growth and increasing profitability.  Debbie has also served as a non-executive director for UKSG, a membership organization connecting the knowledge community, and as a volunteer for Inspiring Future Careers.

How to Win at Social Recruiting in the Middle East

How to Win at Social Recruiting in the Middle East One of LinkedIns Most Socially Engaged Staffing Agencies hails all the way in Dubai, a city that has seen tremendous growth in such a short period time and continues to make great strides in all aspects of modern life. Situated along the coastline of the Persian Gulf, Dubai is widely recognized as a cultural melting pot with only 10% of the population being local Dubaians, and the other 90% hailing from all four corners of the globe. So as a recruiter, let’s just say life must be interesting! We decided to have a chat with John Fitzpatrick, the Regional Director of Executive Solutions, one of the regions best recruitment agencies, whom our friends at LinkedIn have recognized as one of the best in the industry for social engagement on the platform. We sit down with John to find out what the recruitment industry is like in Dubai and the Middle East in general. As well as gaining some insight into the award-winning work they have done online. Competition for talent in the Middle East The Middle East, as an employment market, remains very buoyant in a majority of sectors we operate, however, and safe to say, areas such as Oil Gas/related support services have been affected by low Barrel prices and this has obviously/visibly affected the levels of hiring in this previously booming sector. As some compensation, other verticals within the region, such as FMCG, Construction Engineering, Alternative Energy, IT/Digital, Cyber Security, Rail Transportation have witnessed significant increases in hiring, this mainly being due to essential projects, government initiatives and is partly related to upcoming EXPO 2021 activities, of which have organically complemented evolving markets. As an expat, originally from London in the U.K, in my mind, the Middle East represents a rich and harmonious melting pot of international talent, all of which share business methodologies and personal cultures. I believe there is no other such successful example in the world and this is why the number of expats coming to the region, versus other popular worldwide destinations, is on the increase. LinkedIn is everything Firstly, LinkedIn is a living and breathing part of our business and does not represent a chore, I must add, regardless of any expert advice/hot tips you receive on how you can make your business grow, it’s very much about the structure and full commitment by all the team to the common goal of “Digital Excellence”. Under my guidance, our entire business operates and commits to a daily/weekly/monthly routine of posting relevant articles, engaging with candidates/clients alike, plus taking the time to respond to all (where humanly possible) comments or inquiries that individuals most generously leave. I would also emphasize that to sculpt winning ways in this arena, team/business members have also got to commit to maintaining the brand on weekends and evenings. The reality is that due the fact that we operate over several continents, myself/consultants are often called upon to cater to their online media/communications that arise quite possibly when the working week starts on a different day to yours, or the time zone is significantly different (i.e. Korea, USA, Europe Australasia). After all, we all now live in an electronic world which rightly or wrongly, expects a response and now! Employee advocacy The employees contribution means everything. If you haven’t got genuine buy-in from your business/workforce, simply don’t bother. As far as tasks or creating good habits are concerned, LinkedIn is a marathon and not a sprint. Anyone can showboat, or demonstrate great activity over the course of a week or two but that does nothing for forging longer-term connections or fostering the correct levels of communication. Hands-on engagement It’s massively important to engage your audience and to only share items that may be of “real interest” to connections. Any irrelevant or insensitive postings could well result in losing contacts, as opposed to growing your network. On the matter of thought leadership, I like to have a much more hands-on approach to managing this area of my business, as opposed to providing theory and do not merely bark instructions on how we can be amongst the Industry digital elite! I refer to my previous comment “ If you haven’t got genuine buy-in from all your business/workforce, simply don’t bother. Top 3 take away tips for social recruiting Draw up a personal/business “social media plan” and most importantly stick to it. Be sure to only post interesting and industry relevant content. Diarize quality checks to ensure you’re maintaining the plan. Connect with John on Linkedin.

What Is Your Career and Life Advice To Teen Girls

What Is Your Career and Life Advice To Teen Girls Big news!!  I am excited to announce that I will be participating in Girls World Expo  in San Diego on September 24th, 2011.  Girls World Expo gives girls an opportunity to meet the women business and civic leaders in their community, hear about their paths to success and sample a variety of workshops and seminars that provide insights, skills, and knowledgeâ€"the things that can make lives go in a whole new direction. My hope and purpose for this event is to empower girls to know that they can be whatever they want to be and give important life, college and career advice to them that they will always remember. Will you help me? Please leave a comment answering the below question.  I will write a post before the event and include all of your great advice so that we can pass it along to all of the young girls in our lives. What is your career and life advice for young girls?  What do you wish you would have known before going to college and entering the real world? Thanks!  Please pass along! I would love to get as much advice as possible!

Work-free Weekdays The Art of Asking for Time Off

Work-free Weekdays The Art of Asking for Time Off Time off from work comes in many forms: paid and unpaid vacations, family leave, maternity leave, sick leave, study leave, sabbaticals and emergencies. If approaching your supervisor is already difficult enough, how much harder would asking for a vacation or leave be?Photo Credit â€" pexels.comOne thing that attracts us to our jobs are the perks and the first thing we look for are vacation privileges. Unless your job already includes plenty of airline miles, airport hopping or travel, squeezing in some RR every few months shouldn’t be unattainable. All it takes is a polite approach and right timing.1. Double Check PoliciesDon’t abuse or neglect your privileges. As an employee, you should already be familiar with the policies and guidelines regarding taking a leave. That’s what handbooks are for. Align your plans with your organization’s and your chances of getting that sweet “yes” from your superior are sure to double. evalFor more specific matters, never hesitate to cons ult with your HR about vacation policies. 2. Ask for Permission AppropriatelyThe golden rule of requesting for a leave: Never demand, ask.If requesting for a leave of absence requires that you put it on paper, do it. This is one way to show your superiors that you’re responsible and familiar with the standard operating procedures.Timing plays a big role on whether or not your request will be approved. Pass in your request in advance and when they seem least busy. Avoid asking in the middle or a project, event or while trying to catch a deadline. Save your efforts for after the success. Try to mention it in passing as well to observe their initial reactions about your planned absence. 3. CompromiseAlways have backup plans. We all play important roles in our companies, so the get up and leave ethic wouldn’t really work well.Before leaving, make sure all your work is caught up and done. One way to make your officemates feel like they’ve been abandoned is by leaving them in the dark and not delegating the unfinished work, if any. Also try making up the time you lost while you were away. Even your vacation planning and timing says a lot about your chances of being promotedIf your duties at work are as crucial as your outside plans, create a common ground. Maybe you can work remotely for a short time span in order to fulfill your duties on both ends.Sometimes, as managers and HR personnel, loosening up on your employees, having complete and utter faith that they’ll come back is one way to keep them longer.evalA weekend is too short a time to fulfill our beach fantasies. Or what if your trip of a lifetime comes up unexpectedly amidst busy work days? Are we allowed to just take a day off because we feel like having some “me time”?Even employees of the month need a break, too. Some days are better than others, so don’t be too hard on yourself when exhaustion and stress catch up to you eventually.Also remember to express gratitude towards your boss and y our team. If your trip included a trip out of the country, a little souvenir piece given as a present shouldn’t hurt. Use sick days honestly. You wouldn’t want to come back to a group of officemates who treat you as a stranger if they feel you went AWOL on them.evalRetreat and time off are included in our rights as an employee. We all have the right to take a time off from stress. Use it before you lose it, even vacation days and experiences have expiry dates. Vacation, paid or not, should be a luxury we can all enjoy.

Sweaty palms and trembling knees 4 ways to prepare for your job interview - CareerEnlightenment.com

Sweaty palms and trembling knees â€" 4 ways to prepare for your job interview So, you’ve landed a job interview, congratulations! You’re probably feeling an eclectic mix of nerves, excitement and anticipation for the day that’s already fast approaching.They say that job interviews are up there with some of the most stressful moments of our lives â€" and that’s in the same class as moving house, getting married and personal injury â€" so if you’re already feeling a little anxious then don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal!The purpose of the job interview is to find the candidate that matches the role advertised. They’ve seen your killer CV that was bursting will all the right experience, qualifications and skills, not to mention that it was of course, utterly flawless â€" check out Scribbr for proofreading services â€" so now they want to meet you in person and decide if you’re indeed the right person for the role.It’s pretty daunting, but there are ways you can prepare for your job interview that will hopefully reduce the stress your feeling and help you give a better performance. Read on for 4 ways to prepare for your job interview.Get some research doneAs soon as you have the interview date confirmed, you need to get to work. Researching the company should be your first task. When you show prospective employers that you know what the business has been up to lately, what their ethos is and what they expect from their employees, then they’ll see that you’ve done your homework and will certainly be impressed.You could also research if they’ve been in the news lately and who their clients are. If you don’t like surprises and you know the name of your interview beforehand, then do a quick search on LinkedIn and take a look at their profile. Want to Read More Articles Like This One?Sign up here to receive weekly updates from Career Enlightenment, and never miss another powerful job searching tip! SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed!We hate spam too. Unsubscribe any time. Prep for basic interview question sAgain, more research into what you could be asked will certainly calm your nerves a little. You can’t predict specific questions, but you can work on answers to the most common questions like: Why do you want to work here and what are your strengths/weaknesses. Don’t be afraid to take your notes into the interview with you. It’s perfectly acceptable to do so!Plan how you’ll get thereIf you’re taking one mode of public transport, then make plans to take another just in case there is a delay or a cancellation. If someone offers to give you a lift, that’s wonderful but always have a backup plan in case the plans fall through.Get familiar with the route on Google Maps and find out where you can park, work out the time it takes to get from the station to the office etc. Get there 10 minutes early in you can.Think about what questions you want to askThere will be a point in the interview where you’re asked if you have any questions for your prospective employer. This is your opportunity to shine, to show you’ve done research and to show that you’re really invested in the role. Ask â€" why do you like working here? Can I progress in this role?

What You Need To Know About JMU Resume Writing

What You Need To Know About JMU Resume WritingJMU resume writing is a practice for making high quality, polished, interesting, and professional resumes. This is definitely a unique way of searching for an entry level job because it is the best way to be able to write an attractive and highly effective resume that will go well with the kind of company or organization you are aiming to work for. A great example of how a JMU resume works is: 'there is a JMU college in Huntington Beach, California where I live, but it only serves full-time students and people who have been a part of the community for three years. The campus itself is beautiful, and this is where the college's students go to class, live, and socialize.'This JMU resume writing example could be written by anyone who has lived in Huntington Beach, California. The college is situated within the city's borders, in the town of Huntington Beach, so it makes sense that all students from Huntington Beach, CA, will be able to atten d this prestigious institution. It is true that the student body is a part of the community of Huntington Beach, but not everyone can be a part of the community for the same reasons as the person above. While the background might not be true for all individuals, the relevance of the activities mentioned in the example would be beneficial to anyone who is looking for a job in Huntington Beach, CA.Having the ability to write a JMU resume is like having a professional resume writer's toolbox. You can use this tool to write an effective JMU resume. By using these tips, you can add your own personal touch to your work history and other aspects of your life. You can then stand out and impress your prospective employer, and make the most of your abilities and talents as soon as possible.When you are writing your resume, keep in mind that the goal is to make it the best. Do not compromise with the flow of your writing style. In addition, when you are writing your resume, remember that your resume should be exciting, fun, and personal. Keep your resume from being stiff and dry. If you want to get your dream job, you must be able to stand out from the crowd!Writing your resume should start with your education. Remember that you must always state your educational background if you want your resume to be impressive. If you are a school teacher, you can state your teaching experience in school or the community and how long you have been in the profession.After that, your first line or bullet points on your resume should state your name, your age, your address, your position in the school or in the community, your current contact information, and any other information that you think might be necessary. Your employment and education history are always listed at the end of your statement. Next, you need to list your most recent achievements. Try to include the accomplishments that would help your employer decide if you are the right person for the job.List down any type of aw ards you might have won, letters of appreciation, and other awards you might have received. Last, but not least, you need to list down your skills. You should describe what you are good at, what you enjoy doing, and what positions you are best suited for. Describe each of your skills. If you have a knack for writing, include it as part of your skills.Creating an effective JMU resume writing is a crucial part of creating a great resume. Most importantly, you should always be sure to put your best foot forward when writing your resume. With the tips mentioned here, you can easily write a JMU resume that stands out from the crowd.