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We hope you find that the information presented here is helpful in meeting the challenges you face every day in the ongoing management of talent (recruiting, retention, and market trends). Your suggestions for topics AND your feedback on topics/blog posts are always welcome!

Archive for February, 2010

Have you ever encountered a bad LinkedIn reference?

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

When I was graduating college, my first potential ‘professional’ employer asked me for a letter of recommendation from a long-standing past employer of mine. I asked the business owner to write a letter. His response was to send me to his office to get letterhead so that I could write a letter that he would then sign. I immediately realized (I was about to enter the HR field, by the way) that letters of recommendation had little value.

Why are LinkedIn references so popular?

To complete your profile (to get to that 100% level), you need to really use many or most of your LinkedIn profile’s features. A reference gets you 5% – not a bad thing by itself. There are other reasons besides a goal of profile completion.

  • References get noticed when people read your profile
  • The first 6 words are visible on the profile page (and usually say wonderful things)
  • The addition of a reference gets you listed in the weekly LinkedIn updates e-mail

Are most references a ‘cross-reference’ deal?

My e-mails are archived automatically (all of ours are). I went back to check my weekly LinkedIn updates. It appears that most references are a deal – I’ll write one for you if you write one for me. Can you imagine one of those ‘deal’ e-mails not being extremely positive?

Get to know the people you pursue – or that pursue you

That by itself ends this post. A polished profile and great references (from people that are friends of the person) make up most of today’s active LinkedIn profiles. Simply put, take the time to check out the people you pursue or that pursue you. Reading only the profile will not get you what you need.

Posted in Social Networking

Google Yourself . . . . . A Step Beyond Social Networking

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Each week, I get my weekly LinkedIn Updates e-mail. I find who my contacts have added as their contacts; I see all status changes. One trend seems to be changing the picture on the top right of the profile (I assume updating). Now one can ask . . . . . why the picture anyway? If we are ‘linked’ together – don’t we know each other well? (That by itself could be a Blog entry – and likely will be in the future.)

Unless your name is John or Jane Smith (my apologies to all John and Jane Smiths), you should Google yourself. And if you have time, google some of your friends/acquaintances.

LinkedIn is yours; Google results happen to you

We control our LinkedIn content; it is clear from the number of status updates that we are all constantly upgrading what we say/write. (I am guilty as well, by the way.)

  • Have you ever seen a bad reference?
  • Have you ever seen a bad picture?
  • Do you find misspellings? (They are corrected quickly; wording is consistently polished.)

Now – and I mean right now (after you read this), google yourself. Start clicking on everything with your name . . . . . and go beyond the first page.

Due diligence goes beyond LinkedIn

It is amazing what can be learned through simply keying in a person’s name.

  • Are they as active in their profession as their resume or LinkedIn profile states?
  • Are there employer announcements referencing positions that are not on the profile?
  • Are there news stories that the typical candidate would prefer did not exist?

LinkedIn is only the beginning

It seems that we are all using LinkedIn in some manner. It is an efficient way to keep up with people that we know somewhat well. It can be a great business community. LinkedIn is not the whole story. It is simply the story we want people to quickly see. Have fun – take the time (sometimes substantial, but well worth it) and see what you (and others) may learn.

Posted in Social Networking

I’m a smaller company . . . .

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

So is Succession Planning for us? I noticed that much of the reading I was doing on the topic was from consulting companies that referred to global organizations. Most businesses, while doing work outside of their own geography, are not of the scope/scale of the organizations referenced.

We do not have the ’stomach’ for major programs

It our last Blog post, we referenced that Succession Planning is a process. The research that addresses small/medium companies and/or family businesses use that word as well. Ivan Landsberg, a Yale University expert in family businesses, coined the term Succession Conspiracy. Forces against a company’s leadership starting this process include:

  • Reluctance to let go
  • Personal loss of identity
  • Fear of change
  • Norms against discussing ‘mortality’

Start with Communication

To make succession work, the process needs to be discussed – pointing out (in actual truth) that this is a long-term process – 3 to 6 years in advance. Talking and actual planning can then be done in small but planful steps – with a timeline. The goals of the long timeframe are anything but transparent and very important:

  • Pass the business along successfully
  • Reassure employees, suppliers and customers (and family members if appropriate) that the business will continue

Statistics on family-owned businesses, a large portion of all businesses, are not optimistic regarding transitions. It is estimated that only 40% of businesses make it to the second generation; roughly 12% make it to the third generation.

At the end of the day, the company leadership has no greater responsibility than identifying who will foster the company’s continued viability and success. Start the process today.

Posted in Succession Planning

So Many Reasons to Engage in Succession Planning

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Yes we have gone through a deep recession. People have put off their retirement plans; in some cases this is the second time retirement plans have been postponed. (How can we forget the economy of 2001/2002?) That said, demographic shifts will, in the very near future, create intense competition for talent. Combine that with the fact that the Conference Board Leading Economic Index ™ (LEI) has increased every month since May 2009 and you have the very early beginnings of economic improvement.

SHRM Future of the U.S. Labor Pool Survey Report

There have been multiple warnings about our aging labor force in many different reports. This particular report puts it very clearly:

  • 82 million Baby Boomers are retiring; only 45 million Gen-Xers are available to replace them.

What are the obstacles?

  • Lack of support from the top
  • Resistance to change
  • ‘Annual’ performance management programs
  • Resistance by leaders to ‘let go’ of their best staff

It’s all about business

While there are certainly short-term issues that need to be considered when developing succession planning programs, the best and most successful programs start with business objectives. Most organizations have some sort of annual strategic planning session or process. This is the time to incorporate succession planning practices.

  • What are the company’s short and long range goals?
  • What are the strategies and related tactics for reaching those goals?
  • What are the key roles (existing today and needed for tomorrow) necessary for achieving our goals?
  • How can we assure we have the team in place to get us to where we want to go?

One-A-Day®

People often think of ‘programs’ like Succession Planning as an all-or-nothing event. The key is to start a process that can and should incorporate all of your ongoing/daily workforce management programs. Performance management, leadership development, training, retention/engagement activities and talent acquisition all need to come together. You are likely doing many of the necessary activities . . . . . bringing them together with a common purpose will be key (and the topic for future Blog entries).

Posted in Succession Planning