Criminal Record & Job Searches

Do you have a criminal record and are no trying to get back into the workforce?
Is there something in your past that you have trouble trying to explain to new employers?
Are you getting interviews but then never hearing from employers and wondering if they found something on your background check?
Don't let your past define who you are now.
Maybe this blog can help:
http://xoffendersuccess.blogspot.com/2010/12/criminal-records-in-state-of-wisconsin.html

It is written by a collegue of mine from Recruiter Network.
I hope you find it useful.
Good luck!

Ev

Tips for Graphic, Web, and Game Design Candidates

“Employers want job candidates with multiple skill sets,” stated Melissa Eriksen, Account Director, at Aquent when we recently had a chance to sit down and talk about the job market for new graphic design graduates.

“Forget being just a layout person or working only in print. Demand for those positions is down because so many things are switching to web. You need to have web experience too. Employers definitely appreciate web developers to have a good eye for design, and their designers who offer web development experience.”

What types of programming languages should new graduates be familiar with when looking for a job?“HTML, Java, Javascript, C++, PHP, Ruby On Rails, and Joomla are some of the languages our clients are specifically asking about. You should do enough programming to be able to show what you can do and to have an understanding of how different programs can/should be used. 3-D modeling is a niche capability that I’ve been getting requests about lately.”

Besides actual work experience, what else can recent grads do to help their chances of finding a job?“Graduates should have some type of internship that is relevant to their field. They should also look at participating in professional associations like:
Milwaukee Interactive Marketing Association and Business Marketing Association. You can also do meet up groups. Anything to meet other people in your field will help you grow professionally and help in your job search.

Does it help to have a creative resume?“If you are a truly creative person you should have a resume that reflects that creativity. It also helps to have a basic resume available in case you need to email it to someone who can’t receive attachments or a job site that doesn’t allow you to attach a resume. If you are a programmer who happens to be applying for a web developer job, a creative resume probably isn’t needed.”

Any tips for a portfolio?“An updated online portfolio is a must have for any candidate. Try not to simply just rely on class work. Paid freelance projects, projects done for free, or projects just for fun all can help enhance the portfolio of a student or recent graduate. As much as possible, it helps to tailor your portfolio to the company and/or position to which you’re applying. For example if you’re applying for a print production position include some web samples – but make sure the majority of what you show is print-related. Include a variety of samples of techniques and programs.”


Thanks Melissa for taking the time to give some great advice!
To search for jobs through Aquent click on this link:
http://aquent.us/find-work/index.htm?specialty-find=&location-find=mrkt_0881

Ev

Video Games in HR?

Video game design is a hot field for students to go into.
There aren't a ton of jobs or companies out there as of now, however you don't have to design the next "Call of Duty" game to make a good living. Games are now starting to be used in all walks of life. Even HR as proved by the following article by Bart Perkins from Computerworld.com:
Want a job? Bring your game!

Standardized personality tests have long been accepted tools for employee selection. Games, however, must take care to comply with government hiring regulations. In the U.S., candidate selection games must contain job-related content and provide consistent experience for all applicants. Games that include branches and other options are prohibited. Training games have fewer compliance restrictions. Different experiences are allowed, as long as the game is used to improve job performance and is not the basis for promotion or compensation.

However, there are hurdles. Many companies have been hesitant to adopt HR games, believing games are merely frivolous time wasters that are inappropriate in the workplace. And HR policies often specifically prohibit playing games on company time or company-provided computers. Additionally, people over 40 typically have limited gaming skills, particularly those related to spatial relations or joy-stick dexterity. (My daughter humiliates me at Mario Kart!) Older applicants may find games intimidating, since they don't know how to use Wii's A and B buttons or Xbox's X and Y conventions. So qualified individuals with pertinent experience may be overlooked.

Well-designed games promote employee retention by providing candidates with accurate previews of job activities. Improved understanding sets realistic expectations and can cut short-term turnover in half. Games also create the perception that a company is progressive, desirable and a fun place to work, particularly for younger people.

HR games are still in their infancy. A number of companies have begun offering them, with most coming from widely different starting points. Employment Technologies uses its long history in industrial organizational testing to provide skills-based simulations in training and development games. Qube Learning studies the motivators that make people want to play particular games. Previsor, formed from a merger of Qwiz, ePredix and Personnel Decisions Research Institute, provides technology-enabled tools supporting hiring, promotion and development. Beginning as a temporary staffing provider to call centers, FurstPerson has expanded its offering to include candidate testing and management.

Overall, games are good news for overworked and understaffed HR organizations. Games provide a highly effective way to identify the most promising candidates from a large applicant pool. In addition, training games provide hands-on practice for real-world situations, without spilling any milk or dropping any French fries.

Losing A Sale

Everyone loses a sale. "Sales Experts" who say they never lose a sale are lying.
Whether it is not convincing a company to go with your recruitment firm, job classifieds, or not convincing the candidate to take the job with your client, we all face a lost sale at some point. How do you recognize when you are losing a sale?
Jane Porter has some good ideas. Thanks Jane!
Ev
Happy 2012 from
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"


Five Signs You're Losing a Sale -- And How to Save It
BY By Jane Porter

Marla Kaye could not afford to lose this deal. She had watched sales at You Name It Promotions, her Oakland, Calif.-based promotional products company, drop by more than half since the start of the recession--from $3.5 million in 2007 to $1.5 million last year. When a six-figure sale to a new client seemed about to fall through this spring, she had to act fast.

The technology company Kaye was courting wanted a customized USB drive with its brand name on it to hand out at trade shows. When Kaye, 58, found out the client was planning to go with a cheaper bid from a competitor, she stepped her offering up a few notches--shaping the device like the company's logo and loading it with files about its product. "I said, 'Give me a chance to show you why what we do will stand out,'" she says. "We saved it by doing more work than just answering a bid."

Having a keen eye for when a sale is going sour takes savvy. Here are five red flags and strategies for saving the sale:

No. 1: If a Potential Client Seems Indifferent

A client who is interested in doing business with you should have questions and concerns. If they don't outright reject you but don't have any questions either, be on the alert, warns Victor Cheng, author of the book Extreme Revenue Growth (Innovation Press, 2007).

To resolve this problem, he suggests creating more of an advisory relationship with clients. You can let them know that you'll help either to solve their problem or point them in the direction of another business that might be a better fit. Offering to help people find other vendors might seem counterintuitive, but it can go a long way to earn the trust you may need to win over a client, Cheng says. "People will share more with an advisor than a salesperson. It's more of a dialogue than a broadcast."

No. 2: If There's No Hard Deadline For a Decision

Having urgency around a sale is important, Cheng believes. Early in the process, ask potential clients about their timeframe. You want to prioritize those companies that have a hard deadline.

You can find ways to firm up deadlines, says Rich Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation.com, a Birmingham, Mich.-based business-advice website. He suggests limited-time offers or discounts to create urgency around a sale. "The only way you get someone engaged is to find their buttons," Sloan says. Perhaps point out what the competition is doing, or identify the financial risk involved in not acting quickly on the sale.

No. 3: If You Aren't Dealing With the Decision Maker

You may start out talking with a junior-level employee who is vetting options, but beware if you aren't put in touch with the decision maker after a few conversations. It's probably a sign the company isn't serious about buying, Cheng says.

Getting past that roadblock can be challenging. The bigger the organization you are dealing with, the more layers of management you likely will have to penetrate, Sloan says. He recommends creating a presentation that your initial contact can easily show to upper management. You also might request a quick conference call with the senior-level person involved. "It's a sticky situation because you need to be respectful of the person you are talking to and not undermine them," Sloan says.

No. 4: If Your Price is Too High

People generally object to a price because they believe they can find the same product or service for less or because you're trying to sell more than they need, Cheng says.

If your competitors are offering a lower price, focus on how you can provide added value, as Kaye did with her customized USB. But if you're offering more than a client needs, you may need to scale back the initial proposal, Cheng says. You also could offer creative payment alternatives, Sloan suggests, such as incentives on the first purchase if the customer continues to buy more.

No. 5: If You're Asked For a Proposal Instead of a Conversation

When potential clients ask for a proposal before agreeing to talk with you, it's usually a sign they're simply gathering price quotes from vendors, Cheng says.

Before submitting a proposal, ask what the client is looking for and what criteria will be used to make the decision. Reaching a verbal understanding on those issues increases the likelihood that you'll get the sale. "The problem with a proposal is there is no chance for them to tell you what is wrong with it," Cheng says, "as opposed to working through all the nuances verbally."

Why Read This Blog?

Out of the millions of blogs in cyberspace, why should you read this blog?

In this blog you'll find tips on how to make your recruitment advertising more effective, general observations on the recruitment industry, sales, and the famous jokes that have become part of my trademark over the years (I'm always suprised how many times I get thanked for sending out the jokes-they're always clean enough to tell your mother!).

The goal of this blog is not to be the guru on new technology, provide you with the most cutting edge news, or to make myself world renowned. There are others who are experts at doing that.
This is more of a perspective from someone in the trenches of recruitment and sales each day.

There are four main goals that I will accomplish with this blog:

The first point of this blog is to offer practical advice to recruiters, managers, and job seekers:
-who might not be (or have no need to be) up on the latest and greatest gizmos, social networks, and websites.
-How can they make what they are using better to attract better candidates for their jobs.

The second goal is:
-to serve as a sounding board to those who who have mastered the new technology as part of their recruitment campaigns,
-about how the latest and greatest is playing when it comes to the practical world. In cyberspace it is really easy to get hooked on one new idea and then zoom onto the next and forget that most people are still three stages behind whatever the latest and greatest is. To use a Tour de France comparisson, I consider myself one of those riders in the peloton. I might be in the forward half of the peloton, however I'm definately not wearing the yellow leader jersey.

The third goal is to help stay in touch with you!

The fourth goal is to do the above three with a touch of humor (have I mentioned the jokes?).


I publish something new twice per week, usually on Mondays and Wednesday/Thursdays. Thanks for inviting me in! Enjoy!
Ev"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

December Jokes

Here are the jokes for December.
We close out 2010. Onwards to 2011!
Thank you for reading and enjoying the jokes and the blog this year!

Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"


> A man is stumbling through the woods, totally drunk, when he comes upon a preacher baptizing people in the river. He proceeds into the water, subsequently bumping into the preacher.
> The preacher turns around and is almost overcome by the smell of alcohol, whereupon, he asks the drunk, "Are you ready to find Jesus?"
> The drunk shouts, "Yes, oi am."
> So the preacher grabs him and dunks him in the water.
> He pulls him back and asks, "Brother, have you found Jesus?"
> The drunk replies, "No, oi haven't found Jesus!"
> The preacher, shocked at the answer, dunks him again but for a little longer.
> He again pulls him out of the water and asks, "Have you found Jesus, me
brother?"
> The drunk answers, "No, oi haven't found Jesus!"
> By this time, the preacher is at his wits end and dunks the drunk again -- but
this time
holds him down for about 30 seconds, and when he begins kicking his
arms and legs about, he pulls him up. The preacher again asks the drunk, "For
the love of God, have you found Jesus?"
>
(get ready for this.....)

> The drunk staggers upright, wipes his eyes, coughs up a bit of water, catches
his breath, and says to the preacher,
> "Are you sure this is where he fell in?"

Las Vegas Churches accept gambling chips
THIS MAY COME AS A SURPRISE TO THOSE OF YOU NOT LIVING IN LAS VEGAS , BUT THERE ARE MORE CATHOLIC CHURCHES THAN CASINOS.

NOT SURPRISINGLY, SOME WORSHIPERS AT SUNDAY SERVICES WILL GIVE CASINO CHIPS RATHER THAN CASH WHEN THE BASKET IS PASSED.

SINCE THEY GET CHIPS FROM MANY DIFFERENT CASINOS, THE CHURCHES HAVE DEVISED A METHOD TO COLLECT THE OFFERINGS..

THE CHURCHES SEND ALL THEIR COLLECTED CHIPS TO A NEARBY FRANCISCAN MONASTERY FOR SORTING AND THEN THE CHIPS ARE TAKEN TO THE CASINOS OF ORIGIN AND CASHED IN.

THIS IS DONE BY THE CHIP MONKS.

YOU
DIDN'T EVEN SEE THAT COMING DID YOU? --

End of 2010 Quiz

I know you are probably sitting around bored because it is the week between Christmas and New Years. No one is in the office and you've already cleaned your desk 10 times. Now you are just counting down the hours until you can go home and have a little vacation time.
Here is something to help.
Enjoy and Happy New Year!
Ev

> This is a quiz for people who know everything!
I found out in a hurry that I didn't.. These are not trick
questions. They are straight questions with straight answers.


1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the
participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

2.. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?

3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their
own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be
replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?

4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?

5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a
real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the
bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get
inside the bottle?

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the
letters 'dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them.

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can
you name at least half of them?

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold
frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.

9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet
beginning with the letter 'S.'


NOW THE ANSWERS


Answers To Quiz:

1. The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the
participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends:
Boxing

2. North American landmark constantly moving backward.
Niagara Falls - The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each
year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it
every minute.

3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own
for several growing seasons: Asparagus and rhubarb.

4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside: Strawberry.

5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle? It grew
inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they
are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in
place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are
snipped off at the stems.

6. Three English words beginning with dw: Dwarf, dwell and dwindle.

7. Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar. Period,
comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark,
exclamation point, quotation mark, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and
ellipses.

8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned,
processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh: Lettuce

9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning
with 'S': Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates,
snowshoes, stockings, stilts.


PLEASE DO YOUR PART....

If you know others that are looking for something to do today feel free to send them this link. Just don't send it back to me. I've
already flunked it once.

Poll: How Many Employees will Your Company Hire in 2011?

How many employees does your company plan to hire in 2011?
Vote in my latest poll.
http://linkd.in/gVCWeE
I will share the answers in a future blog post.
Thank you!
Ev
http://linkd.in/gVCWeE

Visiting your elderly loved ones this holiday season?

As our population ages and the baby boomers retire, one thing to keep in mind as a benefit to look for in a company is if they offer eldercare programs. These programs not only take care of the elderly person, but also the caregiver. When caring for a family member, the caregivers often suffer lost work time due to doctors appointments, sickness caused by stress, mental stress caused by the additional financial and healthcare demands. On behalf of my collegue Veronica here is a reminder for the holidays.
Ev

"One might think at this point in our struggling economy, demand for benefit related programs such as eldercare would decrease. However, it was reported that in the last economic slump of 2002 there existed a greater need for eldercare assistance because with smaller numbers of employees in the workforce, people have to work harder, which leads to a greater need with family related assistance."
The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. Pension & Benefits Reporter 2002

The holidays are the perfect time to increase your awareness of the overall health of your older adult loved one. A few quick tips:

Be diligent in noticing changes in mood, memory and the general appearance of the older adult loved ones’ home. By mood, I am referring to the possibility of depression and/or anxiety. Try to increase your patience and ability to listen for clues to these issues.

Two quick communications from which to refrain if your loved one is experiencing memory loss: Do not ask them “Don’t you remember?” and when asking them a question, keep the options from which they choose limited. Bringing attention to their memory loss and/or confusing them with too many options increases their anxiety and fear, especially in regard to a possible forthcoming conversation related to moving from their present living environment.

One of the first areas memory loss becomes apparent is with numbers and calculations. If you can, help the elder “check the checkbook” for possible inaccuracies; make sure bills are being paid.

Is the home in disarray? It may be increasingly more difficult to keep up with household chores. Check the food in the refrigerator: are any past their expiration date? What about medications? Are they taking them as prescribed? Are you concerned about alcohol consumption?

Throw and scatter rugs cause many falls; one solution is to purchase the material used to help keep it in place from your local hardware store. It comes by various names; ask for the material used to keep area and scatter rugs secure; it can be cut to form. While this aids in avoiding a fall, the older adult must be alerted to their use and feel, so you may want to add one to start while you are visiting to determine the effectiveness and acceptance by your elder. (You can also suggest the actual removal of scatter rugs, but I forewarn you that this may not be welcomed.)

Before December 31st is the crucial time to help your elder review their Medicare enrollment. For more information visit: http://www.corporateeldercaresolutions.com/archive.html or www.medicare.gov.

Finally, remember that larger groups of people can be confusing to an older adult. They can become exhausted both physically and emotionally. Providing them with some quiet time will help them be more comfortable during these busy times.

I wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

Veronica Woldt, MA
Corporate Eldercare Solutions, llc
www.corporateeldercaresolutions.com
veronica@corporateeldercaresolutions.com
Veronica Woldt, M.A., is the owner and principal of Corporate Eldercare Solutions, llc, providing both employee and employer solutions to eldercare concerns that result in the positive enhancement of company productivity and associated employee work/life issues.

Social Media Usage in 2010

Many companies still have rules against the use of social media in the office place.
If you are still not convinced that social media, apps, and smart phones are where your audience is, I dare you to watch the following:
Happy 2011!

Ev

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