by Janine Nicole Dennis | Aug 20, 2013 | Life
I’ve had enough! I love HR Technology- I really do! However, there are some vendors that aren’t keeping up with the times and it is costing employers candidates and cash which isn’t a good thing.
More than once or twice in the past year, I have been contacted by family, clients, and friends about issues they have experienced in trying to upload their resume-in an effort to apply for a position. They see a job, they like the job, they attempt to apply- only to see the little icon spinning and spinning- never letting the candidate get any further than the first screen.
The issue?
Browser support is the issue or the lack thereof. One notable ATS vendor who shall remain nameless- has an issue with keeping up with the times. They are a global company that claims to put all of this money in R&D and yet they are supporting old browsers that make their candidate gateway incompatible with the latest browsers. This- in turn, prevents candidates from applying for jobs. Where there are no alternatives but to apply through the ATS, the candidate is left with no choice but to move on to the next opportunity. This is shameful! It is in the realm of where HR people and job seekers alike get annoyed and ask how is the technology helping me?
Something as simple as browser support should be the last thing hindering a candidate from applying. I get the reasons why you wouldn’t support old browsers, but not supporting the latest browser upgrades is ridiculous. For people to apply to companies using this ATS, there are disclaimers and all sorts of other “B” and “C” plans to make the candidate aware of the issues and yet sometimes the candidate is left in the dark with no explanation as to why they can’t get through – which is even worse.
Last night, the angry candidate was my father. He has been unemployed for two years and is looking to find something soon. He went to the website of a community college in NYC for a Security Director position. He created his username and password and it remained spinning- never fully logging him in.
Of course, he calls me irate and wanting me to check to see what the issue is. I had to explain to him that is the same garbage ATS I use currently and that none of his current browsers are supported by the system.
His response…
“Why do these companies have to make it so difficult for candidates to apply? It is very frustrating when you trying to look for the job and the road to applying makes it impossible to be seen.”
We can talk about ATS being blackholes and poor implementation, but these are not the issues. This is where the system is a dud and it is costing companies candidates. It is very disconcerting that this vendor proposes all the ways in which this system will provide a return on investment- particularly in the form of the quality of candidates you will be able to attract; only to find out it is actually working against your recruitment efforts. That can’t be true-if the vendors R&D dollars don’t lead to positive customer outcomes.
Not convinced this is a serious issue?
Here are the ways this problem is undermining your recruitment efforts:
1) Candidates will blame you not the technology. Nagging issues like browser compatibility give candidates the impression that your company isn’t keeping up-to-date.
2) Using this system, you won’t even have the ability to track where candidates drop off to fix the issue. The lack of insight into how often this issue occurs and how many candidates you lose- leaves you at a disadvantage in terms of quantifying the impact it is having on your recruitment efforts.
3) From a branding perspective, candidates have more to say about their jobseeking experiences than ever before. If they have difficulty applying on your website, please be aware that it could be blasted on social media or written up in an angry blog post like this.
4) Candidates can’t apply to your positions from their desktop, an iPad, or their phone. If they are kind enough to try more than once and still can’t get through- you’re in major trouble.
5) Poor candidate experience = perception of poor work environment from a candidate’s perspective. If the candidate experience is difficult, lengthy, troublesome- the candidate is thinking this is how you run business as well. You just lost a potential hire.
It seems many vendors have gotten this right with the exception of this one. A great institution missed out on a stellar candidate last night and I’m not just saying that because he is my dad. It has been and continues to be difficult for people to get noticed in today’s economy. This is a terrible thing to do to people and a very poor way to start off a candidate/employer relationship.
To the vendor in question- you know who you are. Please fix this browser issue finally- it is long overdue and costing your customers candidates. You’re supposed to be helping businesses attract candidates not detract them.
Janine Truitt
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Jul 9, 2013 | Life
This weekend was pure bliss as it was all about rest, relaxation and rejuvenation for me. Part of my rejuvenation, was due to my scheduled facial I enjoyed with my esthetician, Sybil. Every visit is a treat where I walk away less stressed, glowing and with some beauty goodies. My goodies this time around was the most recent issues of: The Beauty Authority: New Beauty Magazine.
Excited for my two latest issues, I went home Saturday to quietly indulge in the latest and greatest in beauty products and services. Along the way, was an emphasis on invasive facial plastic surgery procedures and what they do for all of us imperfect beings.
Did you know that…
According to the Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), rhinoplasty (the nose job) is the most popular facial plastic surgery procedure for the past three years. The reason for this popularity among both women and men is said to be because the nose is the “most prominent feature on the face”. It is the first thing a person sees when they look at another person. The procedure is cited as making a huge difference in a person’s apperance. When done well it can create a more balanced, symmetrical and harmonious appearance.
Good plastic surgeons state that there isn’t one nose for everyone it is all decided on a case-by case basis. The aim being that the final product blends in seamlessly with all of the other features of the face. The nose like any other facial feature should never attract too much attention. All things should be harmonious- collaborative even.
What if…
HR followed the strategy of all good facial plastic surgeons and particularly those specializing in rhinoplasty. Isn’t it our aim to make a huge difference in the business? It should be clear by now that there isn’t such a thing as a one-size-fits-all HR function. Sure, there are laws and regulations that we must abide by- trends that we should tune into-but much of what we do should and can be tailored to the business depending on the context and/or circumstances that are specific to that company.
Our best work and contribution is when we are able to make a difference by using a balanced and symmetrical approach. We are most successful when we aim to balance our practical knowledge of the HR discipline with our knowledge of people to create outcomes that are advantageous for the business.
HR should be the most prominent feature in a company because they are more often than not the first attribute of the company a new hire sees. However, we have to question whether our prominence is detracting from the business or attracting. This is an important question, because like the rhinoplasty- perfection is in the balance, symmetry and harmony of our practices. The nose that is overly boastful or prominent is one that is detracting from the rest of the face. Conversely, if a nose is too small to suit a face it is equally prominent as it is out of sync with the rest of the features. Upon first glance you can immediately tell something is wrong in both of these instances.
From this, our lesson is- HR can make an impact in the business, but in all our endeavors we should seek to create harmony in the business not unnecessary disruption. This means policies and processes that live in the realm of context and not theory. Policies that look for the balanced approach not ones heavily leaning or aligning with one side or another. They are ones that seek to satisfy all pertinent parties ( to the extent possible). It means listening to your internal customers and trying to create a symmetry between what you require and what they need to accomplish.
I leave you with this, if your nose (HR function) is asymmetrical, is unable to properly function or is grossly crooked you may want to perform an HR Rhinoplasty to restore balanced and symmetrical prominence to your organization. It may very well give your organization a new and improved appearance.
Janine Truitt
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Jun 10, 2013 | Life
I’m not a huge basketball fan, but I will watch intermittently during the regular season and finals. I recently watched the press conference with Lebron James after a Game 1 loss to the San Antonio Spurs and his words struck me…alas there is an HR lesson or two here.
Essentially, the press asked him questions about the public opinion of his effort in the game when his team falls short. In essence, the reporter was alluding to this premise that he could do more despite the tremendous effort he puts forth most games. To this question, James responds, ” I do what’s best for the team. What’s best for the team doesn’t always result in a win.” The reporter goes on to ask if public opinion of his effort makes him feel like he should be more aggressive; to which he responded: “No, I can’t get involved in that honestly, because I’ve done more and lost before.” “I can’t really get involved or care. I don’t really read too much. I know what I say to you guys and I know the questions you guys ask me, but I don’t really read too much of what people say. I do what’s best for the team. What’s best for the team, it doesn’t always result in a win.”
The ever-opinionated, Greg Popovich chimes in with further commentary after this press conference in support of James which provides even more depth to this discussion. See here for those comments.
How does this translate to HR?
As I and thousands of other HR practitioners prepare to gather next week for theSHRM National Conference in Chicago, I think it is important to ask yourself: are you doing what is best for your teams? Your teams in this context would be the internal customers you serve (C-Suite, hiring managers, employees etc.). Are you doing the best you can by your external customers (candidates, new hires, passive seekers etc.)? If the answer is “no”, try to seek out the solutions at SHRM National for becoming the best partner your team could have. This means attending relevant sessions, engaging vendors and having conversations with your peers about what they are doing to be the “best” partner in their organizations.
Are you winning?
According to Lebron, “yes” and “no”. As an HR practitioner, you have to make decisions that affect the business everyday. Some decisions like business decisions will garner wins and some will not. The goal is always to win, but how do you pivot and recover from a loss or poor decision? Isn’t the pivot and recovery far more important than always winning? If every battle ends in a win for HR or in business, there would be no lessons to be learned. I’m not urging you to make less conscientious decisions, but I am saying that we can stop beating ourselves up for being fallible as a profession.
Stop talking about the “proverbial” table!
I won’t bore you with the definition of the “table” in HR. You know what it is. We speak of it as though it is the “table” that Jesus Christ sat down to last supper at- you know the one where the cool C-Suite types sit with their loathing of HR and all it comes with- yeah that table. The way we stop asking for permission is to “occupy the table”. You don’t occupy and disrupt the fear and loathing of HR haphazardly; you disrupt and occupy with purpose. As the story with Lebron James suggests, it’s not about what people say about us or what is written- it is about what we do as practitioners in our organizations every day. Yes, we will benchmark. Of course, we will read some snark about how we are becoming obsolete or what we do poorly; but by and large, if we stop talking, trust that we know what we are doing and focus on the needs of our teams- how could we go wrong?
The truth is we will do wrong, we will make mistakes. The point is to stop repeating the same mistakes for decades. The aim is to progress with the tide, if that is what translates to you serving your teams the best. The action item is to kill all the noise about how we don’t add value. Fervently reject the notion that other practitioners can do what we know we do best and that is to- manage human capital to deliver successful outcomes and deliverables for the business.
With that said, I urge all of my fellow SHRM National attendees to go into next week with a renewed sense of self. Come learn and engage and discuss ways that you can occupy your table. For those of you not attending SHRM National, your call to action is even more immediate- occupy your table today and join the rest of us in changing the perception of one of the greatest professions around.
See you in Chicago!
Acknowledgement: The concept of “Occupy the Table” is the love child of a talented group of professionals. My thanks go to colleagues in this brain trust Tom Bolt, Steve Levy and Joey Price, bloggers all. Don’t be surprised if you hear more from us on OTT or #occupythetable in the near future.
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Jun 4, 2013 | Life
Photo Credit
SHRM National Conference 2013 is fast approaching and I must say, I am excited.
As a member of this year’s social media team, I am fortunate to have an opportunity to cover this fantastic conference and contribute to the very important cause of ‘No Kid Hungry’.
On Sunday, June 16th, several social media personalities/HR professionals including myself will be playing a game of kickball to raise money for ‘No Kid Hungry’. I’m probably crazy for joining the team since I have not played kickball in easily twenty years. However, I am praying in advance for no injuries and lots of fun.
Am I crazy for doing this?
Not really, but I am crazy about my children and children in general. I also think it is absolutely crazy that 1 in 5 children in this country will go hungry this year. That is a ridiculous statistic for a country with our wealth.
I can’t fix all of our childhood hunger issues but I can support, advocate, and take action to ensure that I assist those that can fix it and that is ‘No Kid Hungry’.
I am asking you the “The Aristocracy of HR” community to assist me in abolishing child hunger with a small donation for this cause.
No donation is too small and all are appreciated. Click here to make a secure donation via my personal fundraising page.
If you will be at SHRM in two weeks, come to Grant Park, Field #1 from 7pm-8pm to see me and other social media personalities duke it out for hunger! It’s going to be a riot!
Also, be on the lookout for the tweet-a-thon on June 11th. Dovetail Software will be donating $1 every time someone tweets with the hashtag #SHRMKickball and@Dovetail and a link to our game webpage is mentioned. Click here for the official game page.
Let’s make a difference for all of the children in the U.S. We focus so much on the future of our children. Let’s first make a better present for them by making sure no child in this country ever goes without food.
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Jun 3, 2013 | Life
A good job description helps the company develop a criteria and fit for the organization within a certain discipline. That is, the job description is where the company decides what knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies are needed to successfully perform a certain job.
A job description is a document that is helpful to recruiters, hiring, managers and new hires from the perspective of ensuring that:
1) Recruiters understand the full scope of what the person is required to do.
2) The hiring manager is clear on what is essential to the performance of the position as well as identifying key performance indicators by which the employee will be evaluated.
3) New hires and employees are aware of the full scope of their duties and responsibilities.
In essence, the job description is a great internal document for many reasons. However, your internal job descriptions are not and should not be the job posting. Some will further argue that it isn’t even a basis for your job postings.
Your job posting needs to be attractive and it should be designed to be read in under one minute; especially since, recruiters spend even less time on a candidate resumes. In addition, we should be focused on telling the real story of day-to-day life at ‘Company X’ not boring candidates with a lot of text.
To be successful in attracting the talent you seek, employers will have to think like candidates and less like themselves to be successful in their recruitment efforts. This may even include taking the leap of faith into social media to give your positions greater visibility.
How can you learn more about this?
Join me and David Clark, Senior Manager, Product & Operations for CareerBuilder on Wednesday, June 5th at 12pm EST/11am CDT for our “High Performance Postings” webinar. We will be sharing our best practices and ideas for how you can revolutionize your employment brand through leaner, candidate-targeted job postings.
Click here to register now.
For those of you that love a good hashtag like I do and want to follow on Twitter, please use #HiPerfPost.
I hope to see you there!
by Janine Nicole Dennis | May 28, 2013 | Life
Photo Credit
Saturday, May 18th, was the much anticipated #truNewYork event at the Stack Exchange HQ in New York City.
I was amazed by the amount of thought leadership and learning that occurred at this unconference. I am thoroughly a fan of no powerpoint presentations in the place of topical conversations that flourish organically in an effort to leave every participant with some meaningful takeaway. The learning and plethora of new ideas that emerged as a result of real discussions around HR and business was platinum. That is to say, you cannot attend one of these events and walk away without something you can use in your work. It is like free consulting hours for your HR issues.
I was lucky enough to lead a conversation around HR’s usage of social media. The concept is called ‘Social HR Minimalism’.
For those of you familiar with the concept of ‘Minimalism’, you know that it is the smallest impression of art garnering the greatest impact. ‘Social HR Minimalism’ is the development, implementation, and maintenance of a social footprint using the least amount of time and resources resulting in the maximum amount of visibility and impact.
What does this mean for the busy HR professional?
It means that there are no more excuses to be made about not having time for social. The foundation of my concept is simple. You will spend 100 days observing, learning and engaging. These are the three areas that I have identified as being meaningful to the HR practitioner. Social has to be meaningful to the work of the HR practitioner. When you make social meaningful, you can begin to quantify those aspects that will assist them in doing their job better. Is this the beginning of social media ROI? Perhaps, but I won’t go that far. What I will say is by the end of those 100 days, most reasonable people will find that they were able to find something in social media that is useful to them.
How does one become an ‘Social HR Minimalist’?
By embarking on this social journey/experiment, know that it is not about instant gratification. This concept is about influence and community. When you become more influential and when you are a part of a larger community, you will find the answers to filling positions and/or those daily HR conundrums. It’s about challenging yourself to learn and share knowledge. It is also about observing what works and what doesn’t.
The construct of ‘Social HR Minimalism’, says you must consistently spend 20 minutes observing, 20 minutes, learning and 10 minutes engaging for the first 50 days on whatever social platforms you feel are most meaningful for your business and customer base. The last 50 days you do everything in reverse; which means 20 minutes, engaging, 20 minutes, learning and 10 minutes observing. Essentially, we are talking about less than an hour of your time daily to observe behaviors on social media, learn through a chat, a webinar, a podcast, reading a blog and lastly engage with other HR practitioners.
I have found that people that are “too busy”, have all the time in the world. If you are one of them, I implore you to chronicle your day to see how productive you really are. I will bet you that there is some unproductive time in your day that you never realized was unproductive. Why not utilize that unproductive time to do something that could catapult your career or brand to the next level? Moreover, when something has meaning for you, you will likely make time for it. This concept is designed to help you find your way in social media by discovering those aspects that are most meaningful to your work.
There were a number of notable social HR figures at my track that echoed the importance and value of social interaction both online and offline. All in all, no one discounted the power of social media and each attendee walked away with an arsenal of reasons why they should get started. In addition, they were all charged to get their peers involved too. As I mentioned, it is all about community. The strength of the social HR ecosystem is dependent on the constant influx of progressive, knowledgeable HR practitioners constantly joining and engaging.
So….
Now that I have given away some of the goodies I shared at #truNewYork, what will you do with it? Will you share it with you anti-social media HR colleagues or boss or will you hoard this information for yourself? The time is now if you haven’t yet explored social media. It isn’t like it is going away anytime soon. Become a ‘Social HR Minimalist’ and let me know how it works out for you. I’m always here to support.
Many thanks to Bill Boorman for giving me the chance to explore this concept at #truNewYork. It was indeed a rare treat!
I’ve had enough! I love HR Technology- I really do! However, there are some vendors that aren’t keeping up with the times and it is costing employers candidates and cash which isn’t a good thing.