In my last post I mentioned Linkedin, so in this one I am going to keep that vibe going. In this post, I am going to go a bit deeper in what I posted yesterday. In so many words, find people who work for a company you are interested in and then ask them refer you to the company. If you are hired, they get the employee referral bonus.

Step 1: Look for a gig on Linkedin by going to –> www.linkedin.com/jobs In the screenshot below, I am (a) looking for a Project Manager role. (I also noticed that Linkedin has scanned my profile and (b) suggested jobs I may have an interest in.

Step 2: Click on one of the jobs. In this case, I choose to click on the job posted by Home Depot. If I wanted to change my mind, I would add more keywords to my search (see arrow below).

Step 3: I see who posted the job and I also see several people in my network that can connect me to that person. Cool!

What would I see if I had no networked connection to that recruiter? I would see other people in my network that work there (check out the example below) or (theoretically) I would see a message from Linkedin asking me to invite more people into the Linkedin network.

Happy Hunting!

Jim

A very good friend of mine is a brilliant fellow named Otis Collier. We have worked together on several occasions and are planning to do a VERY cool project together in the near-future, but more on that later. I wanted to share with you guys a job hunting strategy that he shared with me that was like… “Wow, why didn’t I think of that? Its like… so obvious and would work too.” But I digress, here is his plan, something I call “The Otis Collier Method” (Patent pending)

Step 1: Find a job that you want.

Step 2: Find out if the company has an employee referral program. (And who doesn’t these days?)

Step 3: Approach someone in the company and say, in so many words, how would you like to make a couple of bucks? All you have to do is forward my resume to your company recruiter. If I get hired, you get the employee referral bonus. If I do not get hired, its bad for me, but nothing happens to you. Its a no-risk way to earn extra cash with VERY little work.

How smart is that? I thought it was very smart. In fact, as soon as he shared that gem with me, the little hamster in my mind started running in a wheel. Does every company have an employee referral program? Hmm… The quickest (and easiest) way to find out is to go to the career section of the company I am interested in and look at their Career section. I am chomping on some Frosted Flakes as I brainstorm this, so let me look up the Kellogg’s website to show you what I mean.

Okay, so, if employee referral programs are mentioned on company career pages… Hmm… yup! There is a way I can search that on Google. For example…

• “employee referral program” (“career rewards” OR “career opportunities”) intitle:career “employee referral”
• “Our company” “we offer” “referral bonuses”

Hmm… For that matter, I could do the same thing on a job board.

Okay as I look at the results I am getting, I am thinking that they are just too broad, so I refine my searches a bit more by adding more keywords like a job title or industry. For example…

• “Our company” “we offer” “referral bonuses” semiconductor engineer
• “employee referral program” (“career rewards” OR “career opportunities”) “project manager” intitle:jobs “referral bonus” accountant

Okay, so I say okay a lot, I’m still thinking.

Oh!

Once you have confirmed the company you have an interest in has an employee referral program or you have found another company that does, contact an employee who works there. How? There are a lot of ways to do that, but I suggest researching Linkedin. Do you know how to do that? If not let me know and maybe I will write up something on that.

For now, happy hunting!

Jim

In “The Hits Just Keep Coming: How the Recession is Affecting Families and Work,” Hochwarter sought to find out how the financial crisis is affecting people both at work and in their personal lives. His results show that in the workplace, large numbers of people are feeling more stress, more pressure from management and more concern about their job security, and are witnessing more incivility.

Among Hochwarter’s findings:

• More than 70 percent of both men and women in the survey confirmed that the recession has significantly increased the stress levels of employees in recent months.
• More than one-half (55 percent) reported that management has grown increasingly demanding over this period.
• More than 65 percent predicted significant job changes to occur within one year, causing employees to grow progressively more concerned about job status; 80 percent of employees reported being nervous about their long-term financial well-being.
• More than 60 percent were asked to find ways to cut costs on a weekly basis.
• More than 40 percent of employees reported increased incivility (i.e., “backstabbing,” “sucking up” and politicking) as a means to stay employed in the event of a layoff.

The study also explored the shifts in home life due to the financial crisis. More than 70 percent of both men and women admitted making significant spending changes, including a decision to limit or eliminate the purchase of items deemed non-essential. More than 80 percent of both men and women also admitted that it was unlikely they would be able to retire when they wanted and with the amount of money anticipated as recently as one year ago.In the face of record unemployment and layoffs, the study found that many people (42 percent) could maintain their current standard of living for just one month or less, while the majority of those asked (55 percent) reported three months or less. In addition, more than 33 percent of couples reported discrepancies of greater than six months in perceived standard of living following layoffs, suggesting that husbands and wives are not always on the same page in terms of financial status or long-term economic viability in the event of job loss.

“Scared — it’s the one word I would use to describe the mental status of employees these days,” Hochwarter said. “Employees are more stressed and more strained today, and they aren’t looking to make a move to improve their situation. The study shows employees have little confidence that the next work situation will be any more secure than the current one.

“The housing market is also playing a big role,” he said. “For many, selling a house and its potential to contribute to an already dire financial situation is simply too much at this point.”

Hochwarter’s research confirms that developing a climate of trust and expanding lines of communication, even when the news is not favorable, may help reduce the anxiety associated with job insecurity.

Hochwarter’s research is being prepared for publication.

If you are searching for a job or applying to a college or even just hoping to keep the job you have you should be very careful what you say and post online. Four out of five recruiters regularly run web searches to screen job applicants. Potential employers and colleges may find your online profile and make judgment calls based on what they discover. With all of the innovative websites popping up it’s getting easier than ever to screen students and candidates online.

One recruiter I recently spoke to says that she went as far as to set up rss feeds by certain keywords to facilitate the candidate screening process. More and more employers are starting to monitor the online behavior of their employees. A good rule to live by is “Don’t share anything online that could come back to haunt you later on.” Mentioning how you get drunk every night or how many times you’ve lied on your resume won’t make you an attractive candidate for potential employers.

We ran a simple online twitter search and easily found hundreds of examples of things people have said that could either get them fired or prevent them from being offered a job in the future. It was hard, but we narrowed it down to the Top 30 Ways to Lose a Job on Twitter.

Tweet about failing your random drug test

Announce you are sleeping with your boss’s daughter

Tell everyone how much you hate your boss

Call your boss names

Let everyone know what a stupid moron your boss really is

Brag about fooling your boss into thinking you worked late the night before

Talk about sleeping with your Boss

Tell how you lied to get out of working

Ask your followers which disease you should fake to get off work early

Use Twitter even though your company blocked it on your computer

Keep posting to Twitter even after you’ve been caught by your boss 3 times in one day

Brag about how much free time you have to goof off at work

Give out tips on how to stalk your co-worker

Share how you lied to your boss to keep from inviting him to your party

Mention how you lied to your boss about having to take an exam instead of coming in to work

Tweet about Lying to your boss

Tell your friends how you got out of doing an assignment at work

Brag about possibly getting away with lying to your boss

Get your wife or girlfriend to tweet about lying to your boss

Admint to lying on your job application or resume

Announce you are quitting on Twitter

c

Tell everyone how much you hate your job and mention when you plan on quitting

Tell your followers when you plan on turning in your resignation

Threaten to sue your company and boss and mention what large boobs you have

Tweet about your new job interview and how your wondering if you should sue your current boss

Share that you got fired on your very first day at a new job

Talk about your co-workers bathroom habits

Write a message to your co-workers telling them how stupid they are and mention you hate them

Describe what you stole from work

Tell everyone how how your stupid boss screwed up the payroll

It may not seem important to you now, but what you post and share online could come back to haunt you someday when you least expect it. Everything on the internet can be archived, which means it is also searchable. Your online profiles might be just for friends now, but later on, your online content might keep you from getting that scholarship, the job of your dreams or even prevent you from running for public office.

Think before you post – especially before you post to social networking sites or blogs. If you just can’t help yourself and you must tell someone at least use @secrettweet.

If you have other examples of outrageous postings online you would like to share, please add them in comments.

The study was developed by OfficeTeam and the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) and includes responses from 549 administrative professionals in the United States and Canada and 300 managers in the United States.

The forms of recognition valued most by administrative professionals, as ranked by managers and support staff*:

           Managers                       Administrative Professionals
  1. Promotion                      1. In-person thank-you (tied for first)
  2. Cash                           1. Boss shares achievement with senior
                                       management (tied for first)
  3. Paid time off                  3. Promotion
  4. Boss shares achievement        4. Membership to a professional
     with senior management            association
  5. In-person thank-you            5. Registration for a conference or
                                       seminar

*Only the top responses are shown. Charts containing a full list of
 rated rewards and other key findings can be viewed at
 www.officeteam.com/RecognizeResults.

The research also revealed how instrumental recognition is in attracting and retaining professionals, even in a soft economy. Two out of three (66 percent) administrative employees polled said they would likely leave their jobs if they did not feel appreciated by their manager. And seven out of 10 (70 percent) support professionals said the company’s recognition program would factor into their decision to accept a job with a potential employer.

“While financial rewards should not be overlooked, the research shows there are other ways to effectively recognize someone’s commitment and dedication,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “Administrative professionals are working harder than ever, but their accomplishments usually occur behind the scenes. Therefore, praise from supervisors or colleagues that is specific, immediate and genuine can go a long way toward keeping these employees motivated and loyal.”

Managers also should recognize the value administrative personnel place on professional development. “When support staff receive association memberships or registration to a seminar or conference, both the employee and company benefit,” said Barbara Horton, IAAP’s 2008-09 international president, who holds the Certified Administrative Professional designation. “The small investment in education pays big rewards when administrative staff share new skills with colleagues and increase efficiencies at their organizations.”

Hosking noted that with Administrative Professionals Week around the corner, it’s an opportune time for managers to sit down with their office support staff and discuss which rewards they find most meaningful. “Many people view Administrative Professionals Week as a time to show appreciation to their assistant with lunch or flowers, but it may be more meaningful to discuss his or her career path and growth potential,” he said.

Amy Gurren
2008 Administrative Excellence Award winner

I think recognition programs are so valuable in keeping good employees – they show that you actually appreciate what someone’s doing for you and the company.

When employers take the time to recognize good employees, it motivates those employees to “go the extra mile” more often. Something as simple as a “thank you” or “good job” goes a long way in encouraging someone to keep up the great work in hopes of getting future recognition.

I personally value the genuine “thank you” the most. It’s really not hard to give and, if it comes along with a smile, it’s almost always priceless.

Being recognized as the winner of the Administrative Excellence Award was one of the greatest honors that I could have imagined. It was one of the most rewarding experiences that any administrative professional could ever dream of.