ERE Blog Central | ERE Blog Network

$100 million is a pretty big 'tip'

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:21:01 PST

In April, a San Diego CA judge ordered Starbucks to pay more than $100 million to 120,000 baristas in California, to reimburse them for tips (and interest) which were traditionally handed over to shift supervisors.

(If your first reaction was "Tips at Starbucks? I just had to stand in line for 10 minutes to get a $6 cup of coffee - I'm not tipping anyone!", and your second reaction was "A hundred million dollars in tips? I've got to get myself a job at Starbucks!", you're not alone.)

This is just one of the recent cases involving tips and gratuities in the US: American Airlines recently had to pay 12 skycaps $325k, and a Massachusetts restaurant chain settled out of court for an estimated $2.5 million in damages.

What's so interesting about all this?

Most of these lawsuits have been brought about by a lawyer named Shannon Liss-Riordan, who seems to be carving an entire career out of recovering lost tips in class-action lawsuits.

Lawyers' fees for cases like this are generally based on a percentage of the total judgement amount (typically 20-30% of the total), so winning a couple of lawsuits for $100 million comes with a very attractive paycheque.

But it doesn't bode well for the 'little guy' in the long-term. Most jobs that involve tips and gratuities (such as waitressing, valeting, etc.) are low-paying, and the workers in these roles rely on tips to make ends meet. If companies start getting too scared of possible tip-related lawsuits later on, their response may be simply to ban tips entirely - leaving these workers with a real gap in their income.

(sigh)

Do you have any Grey Poupon? But of course...

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:17:01 PST

Several varieties ofGrey Poupon exist, each crafted to address one’s primal need for mustard. Butlike the originalcommercial, within the recruiting community there exist factions ofrecruiters and recruiting pundits/experts who believe that if you don’t followin line to their proselytizing you are open to ridicule.

For instance, take ApplicantTracking Systems – please! How manyare there? Rhetorical question. How many recruiters believe their choice is thebest ATS out there? Another rhetorical question. Yet the number of “best ATS”discussions has proliferated on every recruiting forum with each discussionbecoming more heated as contrarians and purchasers of other systems proffertheir opinion on why their choice was best.

They’re all failing to cut themustard because each misses out on explaining how their specific processes,budgetary constraints, IT departments, adnaseum influenced their decision. This would constitute real informationthat would be useful to the community.

So why don’t we offer saidinformation?

Because of the first tenet of the Poupon Principle:

It is easier to assert than to explain.

Rikei Banare: Its Catching

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:04:01 PST

They are running out of engineers in Japan.

More precisely, fewer Japanese are choosing technology majors. The universities even have have a name for it -â€œrikei banareâ€� or â€œflight from scienceâ€�. At the root cause, according to this NY Times articleâ€™s author is a desire among Japanese to emulate Americans. How convenient. How dumb.

The problem with the artcle is that it barely scratches the surface of this critical issue.

While it isnâ€™t likely that

Japan

will become an offshore destination for your engineering design lab anytime soon, the US suffers from the same lack of interest in engineering and science at the high school and college levels. And it is driving the war for talent. Eventually it will drive more and more firms to staff their core skills from off-shore sources.

Two solutions are obvious ( but not on any horizon I can see.) The first is a national commitment to a goal or vision that engages highschoolers... and those who educate them. Sputnik did that for us in the 60's. I'm guessing we'll have to wait til China lands on the moon...in 2012.

The second is fixing immigration. The strongest demographic among engineers who are US citizens is that they are 1st generation. Reduce immigration and you undercut the true innovation this country relies on for its dominance.

The Poupon Principle

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:43:01 PST

I've lost track at the number of recruiting pundits and experts who spread (or have spread) their ascerbic viewpoints about all things recruiting - sourcing, hiring, technology, etc. They're here on ERE, RBC, individual blogs that spot (kind of like an incontinence) the Internet - all tossing around clever hyperbole (make a Rush Limbaugh voice when saying "clever hyperbole") about our craft (is it an art or a science? Ask it again like Rush).

Seems that no one can agree on anything recruiting related!

The next time your brow displaces another wet, salty drop on your keyboard as you offer some clever retort or twitterism, and your face is reflected in the glistening pool of sweat, ask yourself if you're adding value or are you just concerned with the number of Google hits you receive upon searching for your name?

Recruiting is about cutting the mustard and not talking it. So I'm introducing to the masses the Poupon Principle - can you cut the mustard when you're finished typing?

Well can you?

Something Exciting to Announce... (stay tuned for details!)

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:26:01 PST

Host:	Mark Thomas; co-hosted by Daniel Parrillo
Location:	Space Gallery: www.spacegallerysf.com 1141 Polk St (at Sutter), San Francisco, CA 94109 US View Map \|
When:	Thursday, August 7, 6:30PM
Phone:	415-572-5334
Are you ready to be the FIRST group of recruiters to see the 'next best thing' in Web 2.0 recruiting?? Are you ready to see a company that will revolutionize the staffing industry?? Are you ready for an cool new website that creates a better online marketplace within the HR and staffing industry?? Are you ready for fun promotions, fun ideas, and a fun new way of doing things?? If so . . . then attending the launch party of this new company is a must!! In addition, this will be a great networking opportunity for staffing and recruiting professionals (both agency and in-house recruiters), who are interested in networking with peers and associates, as well as those who like to keep abreast of the latest technology and how it effects our productivity and industry as a whole. We will also have: Artwork prominently displayed for your viewing pleasure, along with the artists who did each piece HOSTED BAR - wine, beer, soju and sake beverages Product Demonstrations Available Throughout the Evening **Company and Website Launches two days prior to the party (August 5, 2008)

PLEASE RSVP VIA EVITE:

http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/ZMYSOLCOPAGKWAEPHRMQ/newcompany

The July Recruiter Trend Poll

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:04:01 PST

I just realized that last month's poll is the most-commented on post of the last 30 days on the whole ERE blog network!

I am so flattered that, even though the month is barely half over, I've decided to launch the July poll.

The Mirrored Heavens: SciFi Recommendation

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:01:01 PST

Dave Williams was the nice guy at the Corporate (Recruiters) Roundtable who oversaw all those cool reports members received. (We got a few complimentary copies and an occasional acknowledgment for our contributions).

David left last year to become an author...of science fiction. His first work The Mirrored Heavens is out.

Google Recruiting Stats...

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:23:01 PST

Hello all,

I thought I would post this since it is relevant to my last post; check out the stats on jobseekers using Google. The companies that move quickly on this info will have a huge advantage over the rest sharing candidates on the 'Big 3' boards...if you need help to get there you can email or PM me; if I can't help you I can refer you to one of our 36 offices nationwide. Below is a great article from our SEO/SEM partner and some eye opening stats.

100 Million Job Related Searches Monthly!

For months (and years) Iâ€™ve wondered what the number of monthly searches are for job related keywords on Google. I always knew it was a big number, but I was shocked to see it was over 100 million searches monthly. The average monthly searches looks to be over 124 million searches, but weâ€™re in the summer slump of job searching during July.

Historically, search engines havenâ€™t shared specific numbers on how many specific keyword searches there were for targeted keywords, but recently Google has changed itâ€™s keyword research tool (hooray) to show us the search numbers for the previous month, and the average number of searches for exact keywords. This helps to shed light on exactly how much job and career related search activity is happening monthly on Google.

After you play with this Google keyword research tool, youâ€™ll see how huge the opportunity is for employers who optimize their career site and job content, so that you can drive these Google users directly to your career site.

Best of all, thereâ€™s no fee to use this service (only a code to enter), and youâ€™ll have access to this powerful tool at this URL:

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Some interesting facts: (which you can validate using the tool above)

TOP JOB CATEGORY SEARCHES: (Monthly)

Sales jobs = 2.2 Million searches
Customer services jobs â€“ 1 Million searches
Administrative jobs â€“ 823,000 searches
Accounting jobs â€“ 673,000 searches
Human Resource jobs â€“ 673,000 searches
Nursing jobs â€“ 673,000 searches
Finance jobs â€“ 368,000 searches
Legal jobs â€“ 301,000 searches

TOP STATES/LOCATIONS SEARCHES: (Monthly)

Georgia jobs â€“ 2.7 Million searches
Illinois jobs â€“ 2.2 Million searches
Arizona jobs â€“ 1.5 Millions searches
Massachusetts jobs â€“ 1.5 Million searches
Michigan jobs â€“ 1.5 Million searches
New Jersey jobs â€“ 1.5 Million
Jobs In Chicago â€“ 823,000 searches
Dallas Jobs â€“ 673,000 searches
San Diego jobs â€“ 550,000

If youâ€™re like me, youâ€™ll blow an hour or so just doing research against your own recruiting needs, and then youâ€™ll ask yourself â€œhow do I get these candidates to find my career site?â€� â€“ which is where we come in of course.

Knowing how to optimize your career site and job content to capture this traffic is an art (and science) that weâ€™ve helped dozens of major companies to achieve. We have over 2,000 client landing pages on the 1st page of Google. Some of our larger clients see over 10,000 candidates monthly directly to their career site where candidates then apply via their existing ATS system. (no middle men)

So, if you want to continue to pay the job boards for years to come, and compete for the pool of shared candidates, good luck.

Smart employers will learn how to go upstream online and compete for these candidates at their first search for jobs on Google, and drive them directly to their site using either Search Engine Optimization, or Search Engine Marketing to cut their recruiting costs dramatically.

Nowâ€™s the time to get started, as the fall is coming faster than you think â€“ and youâ€™ll need to get started now in order to get on Googleâ€™s 1st page if you hope to be there by September or October!

The Industry Experience Requirement Trap

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:11:01 PST

Know the adage "When you become so good at using a hammer everything begins to look like a nail"? Same thing holds true for recruiting and the notion that peeps must have specific industry and/or product experience to be considered a viable employment candidate.

The only data is the self-fulfilling prophecy held by many hiring managers when they hire someone out-of-spec - the HMs spend a good deal of time "looking" for reasons to prove recruiting wrong and create structures that practically ensure a negative result.

Consider the best reason for hiring out of range...creativity. When you hire 100% within spec, you're genetically engineering creativity out of your organization. Fewer ideas from other areas is like incest - you end up inbreeding all the bad stuff.

Read here about how some in finance actually embrace variety in their function. And be sure to subscribe to CFO.com and it's newsletters - the best "tools" a recruiter can find these days - financial knowledge and how organizations are really managed.

Lifetime Learning Support

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:15:01 PST

We all know corporate executives and banking professionals who have enrolled in MBA programs to enhance their existing careers. We all know tradespeople who regularly update and upgrade their skills at community colleges to get regular promotions and raises.

Outside of those examples, though, it seems that "going back to school" as a "mature student" is something that employers and colleagues view as a personal interest or hobby. Or, they view it as advanced planning for a career change rather than a means of adding knowledge-value to an existing job.

The more we talk about lifetime learning, the less it seems that employers are actually embracing the concept as part of their retention strategy. While in-house seminars and training programs are certainly on the rise, how many companies are actually supporting their employees (and would-be employees) in their self-directed efforts to earn diplomas, degrees and certifications?

What does support look like? It looks like time off to study and to write exams. It adds up to partial or even full tuition support. Support shows working students what new opportunities will become available to them. And, what's more, educational support is spelled out in HR policies and procedures that aren't daunting and impossible to meet.

What are your experiences in this area? Do you find more and more candidates are searching for educational support? Are employers looking to provide it?

Where Gen Y Wants to Work

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:33:01 PST

We've been talking a lot about what Generation Y wants and how to deal with them. DECODE, Brainstorm Consulting and Universum have been finding out where they want to work and what they want from employers.

“The competition to hire top graduates is more intense now than I’ve seen it in twenty years,” stated Graham Donald of Brainstorm Consulting, one of the co-authors. “This Report gives us a good idea of which companies will be able to attract the best and which need to revisit their recruitment strategy.”

In the spring of 2007, DECODE, Universum and Brainstorm Consulting conducted a survey of 23,826 Canadian students from 41colleges and universities. They asked the students about their top employers, their career aspirations, and about how key career decisions are made.

The 2007 Learning to Work Report examined many of Canada’s leading employer brands and their relative ranking as places to begin a career. Students have ranked The Government of Canada as the number one most desirable employer for the last three years running

Other highlights:

Google took the top spot among technology companies
RBC Financial Group came out as the most desirable bank
Deloitte and Ernst & Young led the accounting firms on the list
L’Oreal and Procter and Gamble emerged as the leading Consumer Packaged Goods employer brands

That sums up the “where they want to work.”

The study found that today's students and recent graduates are focused, informed and rational in their decision making. Tomorrow’s workforce, the authors maintain, wants to achieve a healthy balance between career and life, expects opportunities for advancement and learning, and are striving to build a secure financial base.

The study also found that students believe that finding great people to work with is almost as important as finding opportunities for advancing their careers. Today’s students also look to parents and professors for advice on career opportunities first and foremost when seeking advice.

May 2008 Graduates Face Tough Job Market

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:01:01 PST

Read here.

FYI, I'll be putting together a panel of students who are graduating in December 2008 and May 2009 for one of the NYC metro area's staffing groups this fall.

Comprised of students who are interviewing this Fall to find jobs, my goal is to open the eyes of the HR/recruiting community by hearing it straight from the horses' mouths about attitudes, beliefs and values of potential entry-level employees.

Stay tuned...

Karoshi Killed an Engineer at Toyota

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:58:01 PST

"A Japanese labor bureau has ruled that one of Toyota's top carengineers died from working too many hours, the latest in a string ofsuch findings in a nation where extraordinarily long hours for someemployees has long been the norm."

Karoshi, or overwork, was cited as a prime factor in the death of a 45 year old engineer who worked for Toyota on their Camry line.

Read one of the articles here.

Wouldn't it be great if job specs included truthful descriptions of a company's culture rather than the recycled crap that permeates almost every company's website and employment brand copy?

It's time for a revolution - as recruiters we know what we should be saying but are often shot down by higher ups who are simply ignorant.

The New ERE site...not so much

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 11:06:01 PST

'Pardon me' is often used as preemptive apology so the other person is not offended by what is coming next. Pardon me, but the new ERE.net site is horrible. Sorry. I am not a fan. I've tried to give it a shot and the new site is too much like a blog.

Every website looks like a Word Press blog these days. I am guilty of it too. It's right out of the box, cheap, fast and works well. But the new ERE.net site is not giving me the warm and fuzzy.

Can we go back to the old site? I don't care too much for the two column site with a side bar of links and RSS feeds. Also, I don't like the layout for the articles - again to much like a blog.

And to my friends at ERE, I still love the content of the articles and the tools. The new ere.net layout...not so much...not so much. Not feeling it here, folks. Am I the only one that thinks this way? I hope so. But, I really liked the old site layout better. It just worked for me.

Recruiting the Older Worker - Part IV Retention

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 09:56:01 PST

In summary, hiring older workers and placing them in positions that will be of value to the organization is just the beginning. Motivating and retaining them is the next step. What we have to remember is that a key factor in perpetuating an organization's succcess is providing an employment climate that ignites an employee's intrinsic motivation. However, an organization's employment climate is important to all generations, not just the older worker. So, what does everyone want? Here is one recipe that works for all generations.

-Necessary tools that will enable them to be successful on the job

- Respect whether they have years of experience or just a few

- Recognition, self-actualization and a feeling of belonging

- Work that adds value to the organization

- Being empowered to make decisions that relate to their work

Gen Y's want Flexibility ...Part 2

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 16:53:01 PST

After reading a very nice, straightforward and absolutely eye-opening comment from Renee Dall about my last blog posting, I realized I need to be more open-minded, thoughful and smart. My apologies if I offended anyone.

My comment read:

' I think most people work until 6 pm anyway, unless you are a disengaged employee who counts down until 5pm everyday.'

Renee pointed out that she is not a disengaged employee at all, however because of her home life responsibilities, she must leave at 5pm every day.

Renee is right. Not every employee that leaves at 5pm is a disengaged employee. They may have to pick up children from day care, run middle schoolers to baseball practice, or just be the person they need to be when they are not at work.

Renee also brought up a good point that as someone who must leave at 5pm to tend to her other responsibilities, she works extra hard during the hours of 8am-5pm.

This reminds me of a former co-worker of mine, Emily. She was always soooo busy during the day. Never had time to take a lunch or just chat with me while I took a break. Emily always left at 5pm and not a minute later. One day while dropping off some stuff in her office, I realized why. There was a picture of a blonde headed, blue eyed little boy not a day over 2, sitting on her credenza. I always wanted to be as productive as Emily. I admired her for her work ethic. What I should have admired her for was her dedication to work life balance.

A great friend of mine is the Director of Marketing for a large Scrapbooking company. We've never done lunch. I've never heard from her before 5:30pm during the work week. She doesn't have MySpace or Facebook. She's a Gen Xer. She's a hard worker, a wife and a mother. Again, skilled at work life balance.

I think it is time to start giving credit to our often overlooked Gen X crowd, the ones who most likely have children of Day Care age, who must be extremely productive during those hours because they don't have the luxury of staying past 5pm. They are focused on beating the clock every single day. That is a skill.

When I worked at this particular company with Emily, I often felt guilty leaving the office at 5pm. Besides Emily, I worked among a group of Boomers who never left before 6. I don't have children to pick up. No second job to run to. No extra curricular activities to attend. So why would I leave at 5pm even though that was the time that I was required to work until? Because that was the work environment I was in. This is how that group operated. It often seemed like a contest to see who could get there the earliest and who could stay the latest. The sad part it, they would reward this behavior, making those who didn't participate feel less valuable.

If I started packing up around 5pm, I would get looks and last minute requests, like it was a test of my dedication. Still young in my career, I would often throw down my stuff and boot my computer back up to complete the last minute task. I needed to prove myself. In the beginning, walking through a dark and empty parking garage at the end of the day felt good, like I was somebody, but then it became lonely. I was sick of never seeing the Florida sunshine or meeting friends for a happy hour. I lasted one year at the company before I left. It didn't work for me anymore. I wanted my life back.

I then went to work for another company who didn't care what time I left as long as I achieved my goals. I was there almost four years. I loved it. I was dedicated and productive. It worked for me.

Working from home now I don't have to worry about this anymore. Should I return to an office atmosphere, I will be leaving at 5pm. Not because I will have children to pick up or another responsibility, but because I want to enjoy what's left of the day. Grab a cocktail with friends. Stop at the Gap for a new shirt. Make dinner for my husband. I want to enjoy life. It is my life. If my employer doesn't like it, then I'll have to find one that does.

Yes, I am a Gen Y. But I think that Boomers, Gen Xers and Cuspers (people who fall in between generations) would agree with me. People want balance. Employers must comply.

Definition of Insanity - Reading the ERE daily?

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 13:44:01 PST

Albert Einstein defined insanity as â€œDoing the same thing over and over again and expecting your results to change!â€�

I often use this quote during my training/speaking engagements to reinforce the fact that creating good habits and/or breaking bad habits is a very difficult thing to do.

In my last blog post, I touched on â€œattitudeâ€� and how it will either positively or negatively affect you, your day, and ultimately . . . your passion for recruiting!

My advice (provided to me by the experts in personal achievement, continuous improvement, etc.) was to read something educational/motivational for 15 minutes each morning before starting my day. In my â€œreadingâ€� session today (Brian Tracyâ€™s â€“ Million Dollar Habits), I was again reminded that you canâ€™t just read/think/dream about something - - you NEED TO TAKE ACTION!

While reading something educational/motivational will help create a positive attitude for the day; it most likely will not result in improving your overall performance unless you have a written plan of action to implement the tools/techniques presented in the material!

For example, you are reading this article right now. I am assuming you are investing your time reading at this moment because you truly want to learn something that can improve your overall performance as a recruiter. But are you prepared to create a plan of action to implement the information you find useful?

Do you have a pad of paper to extract interesting/informative information that, if implemented, can improve your recruiting skills?

There is a TON of information available to us on becoming better recruiters - it can be overwhelming. ERE (ERE-daily, ERE Forum, The Fordyce Letter, CRL Journal) alone makes it pretty darn easy for all of us to locate educational materials for recruiters; itâ€™s most likely all the information we will ever need!

But, like me, you may have found that:

You read this information â€œon the flyâ€� when you have a few minutes, or worse - when it pops up in your inbox (hence, interrupting your current work routine).
You find some of the information informative, thought provoking and potentially useful!
You look up from your pc and realize you need to move on with your day.
You never CHANGE a darn thing to improve your performance!

With that said, if you truly want to â€œchangeâ€� and become a better recruiter, I recommend the following (I am going to do this for the next three months â€“ I will let you know how it goes):

Allocate a specific time each day to consume the information provided by ERE
- Set aside Â½ hour each morning (make sure you create a meeting request for yourself!)
- Create an Outlook side folder to collect/store the information and then set aside 1 hour on a week to review this information (I have set aside weekend time in my schedule. Maybe Fridays or another time works for you)
As you read/listen to the material, extract information that you believe will improve your performance and enter it into a notebook (your â€œIDEAâ€™s for Changeâ€� notebook).
Allocate time (again - maybe each Friday for 1 hour or over the weekend) to review/organize/prioritize all the ideas/thoughts you picked up from your daily/weekly reading sessions.
Identify one (1) idea, tool or technique that you feel is most important and/or will positively impact your performance the most.
Develop a plan of action (create an activity you can perform, an action you can take) that you can implement into your daily â€œroutine.â€�
- Make a visual reminder of what you want to accomplish. Post it in a place where you can see it all day.
- Since there are 13 weeks to the quarter, I am going to post 1 piece of paper and add my new activity/action each week (so I will end up with 13 activities/actions I am going to implement during Q3).
Create the self-discipline to do this activity for at least 21 consecutive days (make sure you document this in your daily plan). Most experts agree it takes at lease 21 consecutive days to create a new habit and/or break a bad habit that is â€œmedium-levelâ€� (quitting smoking for most people is considered, â€œhigh-levelâ€�).
If you are part of a larger team, do this together (we are going to do this here at RA as a team)! At your weekly meeting (our team has a Perfect Week kickoff meeting every Monday morning), to discuss each personâ€™s Activity/Action goal for the week (making your goals public also helps with the behavior modification process).

Please share your thoughts and comments on how you avoid going â€œinsaneâ€�!

Sought Out or Bought Out

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 07:47:01 PST

Have you read this Globe and Mail article about the online retailer Zappos?

The article outlines "the deal" every new employee is presented with following their training program:

If you don't like what you've seen, quit now and we'll pay you for time worked and give you a $1500 bonus, the company says. According to a quote in the article, 2 to 3% of new employees take the deal and quit.

The measure is designed to preserve the company's vibrant, start-up culture and weed out the people who may have gotten past the personality screening, but really aren't the Zappo kind.

Needless to say, the comments on the article present tons of food for thought.

Mark from Calgary said that in the effort to preserve their culture, the company is probably doing the opposite:

"How does that keep the 'duds' out? Usually the 'duds' are the ones that aren't the most wanting to leave anyways -- there for the paycheque essentially. "

James Hare from Saskatoon says that the smartest are probably taking the pay out:

"Why be at work for anything other then the paycheck? Work isn't life, its just a way of paying for it. People at work maybe nice and work maybe interesting but if employers don't pay enough or demand to much time why stay? It just means they want you to work more then they want to pay you for. Take the money and run."

Dan Strasbourg sees something more incidious about the "culture" of Zappo:

"Companies should never make employees chose between family and work. And they have the gall to do it in the name of 'corporate culture'?"

What's your reaction to the sought out and bought out policy at Zappo's?

New Tool for Recruiters and Job Seekers

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 07:23:01 PST

We've been watching the development of Eluta.ca pretty closely. Here's what we like about it:

Its tools monitor new job announcements at tens of thousands of employers across Canada. When an employer posts a new job, Eluta adds the position to its database.

Eluta lets you set up an email notification that alerts job seekers as soon as new jobs matching his/her search are posted. You can also set up an RSS feed to receive the information.

Eluta's search results include editorial information to help job-seekers evaluate the job announcements. This editorial content includes:

a popup tooltip that describes what each employer does
a review that rates the recruiting programs at thousands of employers
a review of working conditions at the best employers in Canada, supplied by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers.