Big Idea 2013: Genuine Communication

Not many articles motivate me towards a blog response, however, this one did… “10 Things You Should Never Say at the Office” click title for article.

After reading it, I realized the terms are forms of “Disingenuous Communication“.

It seems people use “buzzwords / buzzterms” to avoid real topics and/or actions required.  Buzzwords make avoiding accountability easy because they fill our communication with”fluff”.

They detract from the real issues and allow people to avoid reality in what’s being communicated.  For example, when someone says “It is what it is” … what they are really saying is “I don’t know”… but few people in the workplace want to admit they don’t know something. “Fluff” terms keep them from having to.

I gave it more thought and wondered “How could I say what I mean… without using any of these terms?  What other terms are there?”  How could I be a more genuine communicator with my co-workers, customers, candidates and clients?”

Well, for one, I could simply say what I mean… we all could.

Here are things to say instead of the buzzwords/terms on the left:

Leverage –  “Influence” “Bargain” “Take Advantage” “Debate”

Reach out – “Call” ‘E-mail, “Communicate” or “Contact”

It is what it is – “It’s unfortunate”  “It’s a slow process” “It’s Challenging” “It’s Pointless” “I don’t know why it’s happening”

Viral –  “Popular”, “Mass-Marketed”, “Everyone’s doing it”, “Everyone is aware of it”

Game changer – “This Changes Everything” , “Stop and listen to what I’m about to say because it will change the way you live your life or do your job”

Disconnect – “I don’t think you understand”  “It appears you’re not listening”  “You must not have heard me”

Value-add – “You will get more with this option and here’s why”  “It’s advantageous” “The benefit to you is… ”

Circle back – “I will call you back”  “I will find out and get back to you”

Socialize –  “Tell those who need to know” “Communicate” “Mass Market”

Cutting edge – “Advanced”, “Recently released or developed” “I don’t know all the details, you should probably Google it”.

Hope you enjoyed this lighthearted post, let me know what you think by leaving a comment!

Happy Networking,

Terry aka “TerryJobs”

Find me on: Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, Pinterest and More

(C) 2005 – 2012 Copyright // The Job Spot Blog, Job Spot Seattle, Social Media Teach // All Rights Reserved

The Forgotten Sourcing and Recruiting Method

People often ask me, “What’s the best way to source talent for my open jobs?”

Potential Candidates are Everywhere!

Clearly, there are many ways to source candidates. The online venues can be overwhelming to keep up with. You may ask: “Besides Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Plaxo, Pinterest, Instagram, Zoominfo and a plethora of other social media and social networking sites available, what else is there?”

My response: Recruiters and sourcers sometimes forget to network and source talent in-person.

So, what does that really mean?

Go where your target talent “physically” goes… where they spend their time away from work.

It sounds simple, but many recruiters are so focused on sourcing talent via the internet, they’ve forgotten that getting out and meeting people is as important as meeting them online.

How can you find your target talent? It may not be as quick as a Google search, but it’s possible to do your research and go where they are.

Think about this:

Where would you go if you were trying to source military talent? A military base. Where would you go to source college grads? A local university.

Those are obvious source examples, but if you know your target talent’s industry, you can use the same methodology to go where they are too.

For example, if you are sourcing Human Resource-specific talent, you could attend a Toastmasters meeting in the area you reside.  You’d be surprised the types of talent you meet at these meetings. The clubs typically list the job-titles of each member and each meeting is usually free for guest attendance.

Other, less obvious, talent sources are the gym, the bus, the mall, a popular restaurant, a Meetup group, a career mixer… the list goes on.

How do you source these venues?

1.  Talk about your company to everyone you meet.

2.  Let them know how excited you are to work for your company.

3.  Share your open jobs with everyone.

4.  Have your contact information or business card available at all times because they’ll ask for it and want to connect with you via social media.

5.  Ask for referrals!

My experience sourcing talent in random places is always positive and fruitful.  I frequent public transit for my work commute and meet new people every day.

Without fail, I talk to the people sitting near me.  I tell them about where I work, the jobs I’m recruiting for and ask them about what they do.  It’s important to be engaging and that means being a good listener.  People like to talk about what they do and if you’re a good listener, they will feel a sense of trust.  Once you’ve gained their trust, they will feel compelled to share referrals with you.

Remember, sourcing talent is a constant effort and as a recruiter or sourcer, you must integrate in-person networking into your talent acquisition strategy. Be a brand zealot of yourself and your company and view every interaction as an opportunity to source and network for top talent!

–          Terry Hall

http://www.linkedin.com/in/terryjobs

In Honor of ‘National Unplugged Day’ … Why We Can’t Unplug.

7-Ways To Curate Your Brand On Pinterest

With the surge of interest on Pinterest, many sole proprietors, small businesses and large companies are clamoring to use the site to their emarketing benefit.  I’m not affiliated with Pinterest; I’m an avid user.

Pinterest is practically a no-brainer, if your business offers a physical product. With a physical product, businesses can “Pin” their product images on their Pinterest boards.

But what about businesses that offer a service vice a physical product or even individual job-seekers? Whether you are a job-seeker or a business offering a service, you can also benefit from adding Pinterest to your social media marketing and branding strategy, or “Social Media Mix“.

I’ve met with businesses and individuals who are surprised they can use Pinterest, even though they don’t have a physical product. However, I’ve been actively using Pinterest for my Recruiting and Social Networking Training Business, which is a “Service” related business.

Adding Pinterest to my Social Media Mix has added valuable content and trackable influence metrics to my business.

Here are 7-Ways You Can Successfully Curate Your Brand on Pinterest:

1. Create a Brand Consistent Username
Select a username that is relevant and consistent with all your other social media networks. I keep my username “TerryJobs” consistent on Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and Pinterest.

2. Create Focus-Area Boards
Determine the focus areas you’d like to “Pin” about. Create specifically titled Pinterest boards for each area. For example, a Technology Consultant might create boards titled “Hardware” “Low Tech” “Hi Tech” “Tech Books” “IT News” and possibly the city they live in “Seattle Knows Tech”. It’s also a good idea to add a few “non-professional” boards to personalize your brand.

Remember:  You can have fun with Pinterest and be creative with how you select “pins” for your boards.

For creative pinning and board ideas, click here to find my boards.

3. Pin Your Blog Posts
If you have a blog and uses images in your blog posts, you can “upload a pin” and add your blog post link to the pinned image. When Pinterest users click on the image you’ve “pinned” they will be taken to your blog post.

Click here to find an example of my recent blog post “pin”.

4. Create Pinnable Images
Use your mobile phone to capture images relevant to your brand and boards. For example, if you are meeting with a big client, take a picture of their building and upload it for your followers to re-pin.  This markets you and your client.  You can also create infographics using the newly released infographic generator from Intel.

5. Follow and Engage Your Target Audience
To find and follow your target audience you’ll want to view their pins. You can view, like and re-pin “pins” on Pinterest in multiple ways. 1. “Search” by keyword using the search box. 2. Select “Pinners You Follow” to view pins of those you follow. 3. Select “Everything” to see all pins or choose a specific area from the drop down menu under “Everything”. Finally, Select from the “Videos” “Popular” or “Gifts drop down menus.

6. Keyword Search Based on Your Boards
Do keyword searches based on your your board titles and “re-pin” things you find that correlate with your boards. For example, you could put a new image of the new iPad in “Hi Tech” or in “Hardware”.

7. Track Your Influence on Pinterest
You can track the influence you have on your Pinterest target audience using PinReach.com. PinReach shows you who “re-pins” “likes” and “follows” your pins and boards.

If you don’t have a Pinterest account, visit the site today and request an invitation.  If you don’t want to wait, request an invite from a current Pinterest user.  I’m happy to send invitations.   You can post a response here or tweet me on Twitter to request an invite.

Happy Pinning!

Terry

Click here “Social Media Mix” to find my related blog post.

Job Searching Is Like a Pinata…

Social Media Marketing is Like 7-Layer Bean Dip

“Social Media Marketing is Like 7-Layer Bean Dip; Each Site You Use, a Layer.  Leave a Layer Out and It’s Not Everything it Could Be.” –  Terry Hall

Source: Uploaded by user via @Terry on Pinterest

New e-Book “The Lost Bank” … an inside look at WaMu’s Failure

This is on my “Must Read” list. I worked at WaMu Corporate Headquarters,  Downtown Seattle, as an HR Recruiter until the FDIC siezed & sold the bank to JPMC.

This was a huge loss in so many ways… Especially for Seattle.  I’m curious to learn of any new information that may be gained from this read.

Will you be reading this?  If so, why?

Source: amazon.com via @Terry on Pinterest

How Companies Can Use Pinterest For Job Posting and Recruiting

I first tweeted about this new concept to my Twitter followers early in February 2012  here and here.

I recently tested a new way of sharing Jobs on Pinterest…

What I discovered is a fresh new way to post jobs and recruit talent!

I posted an open “Infographics Designer” job I found on Indeed.com. The position (image below, at post end) is in Seattle with Harvey Nash.

The image shown is the only format I’ve been able to “pin” because its the “norm” for job postings.  Although the format works for job board websites, it isn’t visually stimulating enough to impact the Pinterest audience or cause them to “re-pin”.

How can a job post “pin” on Pinterest be improved?

Employers could create job postings in infographic format, using minimal wording, bright colors and bold graphics. Then pin it to Pinterest as a re-pinnable image.

THAT would be the ideal job posting to “pin” on Pinterest!

Why?  Because not only would the format be visually pleasing, but it could bring greater interest & visibility to jobs not ordinarily so popular.

This could also generate revenue for Pinterest because they could charge a small fee to companies for using the site to post jobs. For now, “pinning” to Pinterst is free for all users.

This is a new concept, but I hope it catches on!  Let me know what you think.

– Terry
http://socialmediateach.com/

>>> Click on the below job posting image to see all the jobs I’ve posted on my Pinterest Boards. <<<

Source: harveynash.com via @Terry on Pinterest

The Future of Job Applications

Speaking of job applications, I’m impressed by many infographic resumes I’ve seen lately… I will share some of my favorite Infographics here very soon!

With the advent of social networks, video job applications, infographic resumes… you know what, this is getting tiring just talking about it. A lot has changed – what’s the future going to hold for job applications?

Check out this article I recently found on Recruiter.com to find out!

The Future of Job Applications

Happy Networking,

Terry

Seeking Moderators for Job Spot Seattle Group on Linkedin

Ready for real-world Social Media Community Moderating Experience?

Job Spot Seattle is one of many projects I personally manage.

As founder and group owner, I’d like to add team-oriented moderators to my group to generate diverse and fresh ideas for Job Spot group members.

If you’re interested in helping moderate Job Spot Seattle’s group content, please contact me at the e-mail below or via Linkedin.

Thank you,

Terry
Group Manager & Founder

http://twitter.com/TerryJobs
recruiter.tah.seattle@gmail.com