I had coffee this week with one of the strongest practitioners in the Employment Branding space, Heather Polivka at UnitedHealth Group. Heather is a great example of the Marketing meets HR competency needed to get effective Employment Brand strategy the top down support and traction necessary to have some significant long term impact on the business. What kind of impact?

-Increase in hew hire satisfaction
-Increase in Hiring Manager satisfaction
-Significant reduction in recruitment marketing spend
-Dynamic and growing talent networks through the recently launched social media strategy

The foundation of this  2 year journey was based on a significant research and discovery initiative to determine the unique, differentiated and compelling EVP that now serves as a foundation for all of the tactical deployment and communication both inside and outside the organization.  Driving consistency across such a large and complex organization is both a significant undertaking and accomplishment.

Her extraordinary work effort and contribution to her own employer is being recognized by Electronic Recruiting Exchange where UHG is a finalist for Best Employment Brand (winner to be announced during the upcoming Spring ERE Expo).

I am sorry I won’t be in San Diego to witness the well deserved recognition firsthand but enjoyed Heather’s insights and perspective this morning around how she has achieved success, the recently deployed UHG social strategy and what is coming next!  Her words of wisdom follow:

Posted in Brand, Communications, Recruiting, Social Media

Remember the movie, Meet the Parents?  Where Gaylord Faucker was hopelessly left outside his soon to be father in law’s magic circle of trust despite his every effort and very best of intentions. Once he was outside the circle it took quite the herculean effort to get back inside.

TRUST is a major issue in the workplace today.  Employee engagement has waned and the prevailing feeling in so many organizations can only be described as anxious and trapped.  It matters little whether the marketplace is talent rich, if the talent on the team isn’t aligned to the objectives and invested in the outcomes.  And invested just enough not to get fired doesn’t count.  I know a lot of passive jobs seekers, working and waiting for something better to come their way.

Sales and Marketing have a Circle of Trust with their customers.  So does Recruiting and Leadership with their employees. And trust and engagement are never higher than the moment someone says YES!  Once the big decision is made the trust should solidify and escalate into endearing loyalty and evangelism.  But it usually doesn’t.  The circle breaks down.

When interest is elevated and engagement is high its a violation if the ‘experience’ doesn’t meet the ‘expectation’.  Brands (and employer brands) that can deliver an experience, that exceed expectations consistently (exceed once and fail twice and you’ll drive people crazy and right into the hands of the competition) build loyalty and have the opportunity to drive evangelism.

Transparency and Authenticity are the new mandate.  You better BE what you SAY.  I read a great quote about this on the Edelman site last night.

“Audiences expect companies to interact with authenticity and transparency. Companies need engagement. Both will only achieve these if driven by compelling content that courts, plays and engages with credibility and professionalism. As Peter Whitehead wrote in the Financial Times, Web 2.0 is a world in which anyone can have a go at generating content; Web 3.0 is where professionals take the lead in shaping that content.  And those professionals are the production experts and the multichannel, multimedia engagement experts. A new world, needing a new marketing offer. It’s all for the taking.”

Content is everywhere.  Quality is another matter entirely.  And better communication inside and outside the company is imperative.  And experience is what really counts.

Authentic, Sincere, Transparent, Timely and Relevant Communication builds TRUST. With employees and customers.

How is your company doing?  Are they inside your circle?

Posted in Brand, Communications, Employee Engagement, Recruiting, Sales, Uncategorized

Tags: Trust

An outstanding week followed by a miserable weekend offered some interesting considerations for the work I do.

I attended HR Connect, a networking event co-sponsored by SHRM, SmartBrief and RecruitingBlogs.  The event and a few meetings around it provided an outstanding opportunity to catch up with clients, colleagues and friends who are passionate about HR and Recruiting.  The ‘Tweet-Up’ (my 2nd official happy hour focused on people connected on Twitter meeting up) affirmed the real desire that people have to connect face to face, with other people, who share a passion for their profession (I wasn’t the only one who got on a plane and flew in for the event).  Using social media makes events like this more rewarding for me and strengthens my network.  But the secret to social media is really all about the relationship.  And its clear to me the conference/event model is far from dead.  To the contrary, people have a deep need and desire to connect live, in person and learn, share and grow.  So, while formats may evolve, good conferences with progressive content aren’t going to be extinct anytime soon.  Social media is simply an accelerator.

I attend a lot of HR conferences.  Often, I am speaking.  Always, I am interested in meeting new people and having meaningful conversations. And while so many of the conferences provide valuable content and connections the HR event circuit can be a bit insular.  And its valuable to gain outside perspective specific to the work you do.  I attended a non HR workshop/event in my hometown a couple weeks ago.  The focus was on social media for business and the audience was comprised of mostly business professionals.  Marketers, Entrepreneurs, Consultants etc. looking to learn more about leveraging new tools/technology.  And part of the workshop general discussion the topic of recruiting and social media was raised.  I was a bit surprised by what happened next.

A gentleman in the audience stood up (not required as part of the discussion format), looked around at the 200 or so people in the room, and in an elevated tone suggested that, “Recruiting is absolutely the most disrespectful business process…..ever.”  He had my attention now. And went on to explain how it was simply unconscionable for companies to treat candidates the way they do during the job search.  Some of it was what you might expect.  Lack of communication.  No feedback.  Minimal, if any human contact.  Horrendous turnaround time.  He was angry to be certain.  And had it stopped there, you could write it off as one disgruntled person having a hard time with a job search.  But it didn’t.  What it did was open the dialogue, all affirming stories acknowledging the problem.  The snowball could have turned into an avalanche had we not had facilitation and the discussion was closed on the story from the candidate, who 30 days after he was hired and started working for his new employer, received an automated email from the recruiting organization updating him on the status of his resume.  Oops.

Sometimes it pays to get perspective outside of your profession.  And it was clear to me this snapshot of dialogue offered some indication that companies have a long way to go with respect to how they respect candidates during the recruiting process.  Some of it comes right down to bedside manner.  And I think some recruiting organizations could learn a lot from Dr. Black.

Dr. Black was my personal weekend Physician.  Heading back from DC Thursday evening I had slight pains in my chest and side.  Writing it off to bad airport pizza I gutted out Friday’s work day with the pain worsening a bit.  By Friday night I knew something was definitely wrong and I ended up in the ER.  EKG, discussion of blod clots, fluid in my chest and lungs, worsening pain and an escalating fever.  No fun. No diagnosis.  Nobody quite sure what exactly is wrong.  Enter Dr. Black.

She offered clear and concise communication with a personal touch.  She explained herself.  Her thoughts about what might be wrong.  What they wanted to rule out and why.  She patiently answered questions.  And stopped back an hour later just to see if I had any more.  And under the circumstances I actually felt so much better having her around.  It wasn’t so much what she said, as the way she said it.  I trusted her.  And because of her I felt good (and still do) about the entire hospital/organization. Dr. Black circled back around and amid my ailment we chatted a bit about work, passion and bedside manner.  I learned that although she had been practicing in this very ER for 11 years she didn’t necessarily think medicine was her true calling.  She is a full time mother and very part time artist.  And would love to have more time to create. We talked about the danger/trap of getting really good at the wrong thing…..and she knew she was good at her job.  Real good.  And her confidence and charisma carried over into a bedside manner that absolutely elevated the patient experience.  Although this might not have been her true passion, her sense of purpose to serve never wavered.  I’ve been to the ER before.  And I have never had a Doctor follow up with 2 phone calls to me personally the next day.  Of course, I wasn’t in the care of Dr. Black.  People make the business.  And the brand.

When you are in the business of saving lives (or starting careers) its easy to put the human element on auto pilot.  But the best in the business don’t.  They remember that it isn’t just what you do, but the way you do it that often makes the difference.  And doing it with elevated communication, care, compassion and consideration make all the difference in the world.

Antibiotics and rest will get me better.  Likely pneumonia or a really bad infection.

Dr. Black’s bedside manner made me feel better when it really mattered.  A great lesson.

Posted in Communications, Leadership, Recruiting

Tags: Human Resources

Had the fortunate opportunity to connect over coffee this week with the braintrust at The A List.  A great conversation with A Players and all around sourcing/staffing pro’s, JP Winkler and Raghav Singh about the trend line in recruiting, social media and their plans for 2010.  I hadn’t had the opportunity to catch up with Raghav since we recorded an ERE Podcast on Social Media earlier in the year and he always offers an insightful perspective on the industry.  If you want to follow a powerful voice with BIG ideas about the future of HR, Recruiting and Social Media Raghav’s writing is well worth the read.

Posted in Recruiting, Social Media

The practice of Human Resources is poised to look very different coming out of this recession.   Through the recent challenging economic climate employers have been forced to confront harsh realities around image, reputation management, cost containment, employee  engagement and productivity.  As we prepare for the next growth cycle our approach to competitive talent strategy will require transformation.   Globalization, commoditization, generational and technological  drivers are accelerating change and introducing new challenges to the way we acquire, engage and manage human capital.  Understanding the attitude and expectations of today’s workforce and building strategy to drive engagement, productivity and protect tier one talent will be mission critical to build the sustainable talent advantage necessary to win in today’s competitive marketplace.

While many organizations hit the pause button on infrastructure and investment in human capital over the last 12-18 months, those with more foresight and focus are poised to leverage an advantage.  HR as a function also has an opportunity to emerge from this recession poised to contribute to business in a much more significant way – as the true custodians of the organizations talent – a function that will that will likely be more meaningful than any other as it relates to the opportunity to accelerate business growth.

Over the next year we’ll watch HR grow up and continue to evolve into its rightful place as a critical and strategic driver of business growth and sustained success.  4 keys that should transpire:

1. Talent will emerge as a critical C suite issue.  There isn’t going to be a labor shortage, but demand will escalate for certain critical skills and competencies.  HR will need additional investment and resourcing will be procured by the practitioner community that can build a proof of concept business case and step into accountability that really matters to the business.  In sports when the owner spends money to upgrade talent they expect it show up in the Win/Loss column and eventually a championship.  Business is no different.  Time to fill?  Sourcing Data?  Retention and Engagement trends.   So what?  Show me where/how it saves (or preferably makes) me money, contributes to growth and helps the 5 year vision become reality.
2. Trust is a foundational issue impacting culture, engagement, performance and retention that many organizations must address to protect talent and avoid an exodus of skill as recovery provides more opportunity.  Reports of employee engagement rising slightly during this recession are indicative of people feeling more trapped than engaged and recognizing there were opportunity limitations in considering a career transition.  That will change. “54% of employed Americans plan to look for a new job once the economy rebounds.  The sentiment is even stronger among younger workers, with nearly 75 percent of those between ages 18 and 29 reported as likely to look for new jobs once the economy turns around.”  At the heart of the issue is Communication and Competency.  Organizations must do a better job in the next 12 months connecting with talent and investing in their human capital (training).  That is part of the protection strategy.
3. Technology is an enabler that can help HR transform and the burden of assessment/selection relative to the right solutions suite for the business need is imperative.  The vendor community is a buzz with tools and claims creating more confusion than ever in the marketplace (and they will have an escalating  proof of concept challenge also).  A future directed HR organization will have embedded expertise to evaluate, integrate and leverage new tools and technology to accomplish business objectives.  The way we connect and communicate has forever changed and that is an advantage for organizations invested in building community to impact culture.  That doesn’t mean everyone needs to be on Twitter.  There is a balance and intersection between High Tech/High Touch.  You can’t automate relationships.  But you can expedite your opportunity to have more of the right kind of introductions and leverage new tools to aid performance.
4. Transition is a natural outcome and we’ll see more talent from outside the HR industry migrate in to drive innovation.  I see it regularly.  Good marketing/communications and PR talent entering the space.  Finance and operations migrating in as well.  As the practice becomes  ever more critical to business success HR could generate more interest from non-traditional talent and/or more placement from executives who demand a different outcome.

The Time for HR to rise to the occasion has never been better.  A favorite quote of mine from the Jim Collins book Good to Great is: “Great organizations preparing for the future know the ultimate throttle on business growth and success isn’t just about markets, technology, and innovation. In fact, there is one critical consideration above all others: the ability to get and keep enough of the right people.”  That should be the HR mission and for many companies that need to focus on Talent First, there is much work to be done in 2010.

The Best Talent Wins!

Posted in Employee Engagement, Recruiting

Enjoyed a great conversation today with Employer Brand International Corporate Advisory members Kerry Noone, Marketing Communications Manager at Sodexo and Heather Polivka, Director of Employer Branding & Marketing at United Health Group.  The conversation covered top of mind territory around Employer Branding as business strategy (and not just recruiting strategy) and the cost/benefit analysis and opportunities specific to leveraging social media for talent acquisition.  Kerry and team Sodexo have built brand ambassadorship and a clearly defined social strategy that includes active participation/engagement and adheres to some of my general best practices (participation drives relevancy; transparency equals trust; listening is more important than talking; define the objective; and validate).  I am sure she’ll be sharing valuable insights around the Sodexo journey on panel at the Social Recruiting Summit later this month in NYC.  Heather (and Heather) at team UHG have a carefully vetted and clearly defined EVP leveraged across a variety of key internal/external Talent initiatives including the deployment of their new content rich careers portal.

Both are world class practitioners delivering for organizations that have strong leadership support for bringing new ideas and innovation to the talent function (which is certainly key to expedite transformation).  And both are HR transplants that come to the discipline with a marketing background and competency.  A new trend?  Will more companies adopt these titles & roles embedded into the HR/Talent function?  Is there an opportunity for more cross functional collaboration between HR/Marketing/Communications and PR in support of talent?  Perhaps…

Today’s conference call would have offered valuable lessons for anyone in sales/marketing. That is certainly part of the new talent acquisition competency.

These are two Talent Innovators bringing Passion AND Purpose to the profession.  Fun to watch!

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Posted in Brand, Communications, Recruiting

Most of my energy (prior to putting some ‘thinking time’ into a blog) is devoted to consulting, speaking and training with the occasional foray into writing an article for publication (when something was really weighing heavy on my mind).   While attending to present at the 2009 Annual SHRM Conference & Exposition in New Orleans I was fortunate enough to stick around and attend one of the final sessions of the conference.  A moderated panel hosted by SHRM COO China Gorman featuring a selection of the top bloggers in the HR industry.  The panel included Kris Dunn of HR Capitalist, Laurie Ruettimann of Punk Rock HR, Lance Haun of Rehaul and Jessica Lee at Fistful of Talent.   It provided a window inside some of the best captured thinking in our industry and was truly one of the most valuable conference sessions I have attended in some time.  It inspired my own personal commitment to more research, writing and now authoring a blog of my own.  I was also fortunate to sync up with Cincy Recuiter Jennifer McClure for a chat captured on video and Peter Clayton of Total Picture Radio where we recorded a segment for his show.  And my social calendar included time spent with big thinkers Mark Stelzner of Inflexion Advisors, Michael Long-The Red Recruiter, Josh Westover at EnticeLabs and Mike Vandervort at The Human Race Horses.  What impressed me most about the panelists, bloggers and thought leaders wasn’t their success, following and brilliance necessarily (although tons of great ideas were on display).  It was their commitment.  They are all BIG TIME students of the game.  Today I am proud to count them among colleagues I listen to very carefully and learn from daily.  I was also lucky enough to have been invited by Mary Ellen Slater, Editor of SmartBrief on Workforce to serve on their workforce advisory with many of the aforementioned and additional contributors to the industry.

I grew up in Ohio and had long been a fan and follower of HR Blogging Guru and fellow Clevelander Cheezhead and now residing in Minneapolis I am connected to people shaping the industry both inside and out of the Twin Cities community including Doug Berg at Jobs2Web, Steven Rothberg at CollegeRecruiter.com, Raghav Singh at the A List and Paul Debettinges, our MN Headhunter. I keep my office at Pixel Farm Interactive with the Engaging Trends think tank for a reason and it wouldn’t be a Sunday without a Skype with globetrotting CEO of Employer Brand International, Brett Minchington.

What’s the point?  The HR industry is in state of transformation.  And if a client is going to hire me to consult, train or speak as an expert in this arena, my ideas and experiences alone are simply no longer sufficient.  Innovation and change occur too rapidly for any consultant, business development professional or vendor partner to adequately pace.  To be good enough, current enough, relevant enough and on point I need a collective voice.  This is a sampling of mine.  When a client hires me I leverage more than my own ideas, work product and skill set.

An organization looking to make a buying decision, procure new resources, augment or upgrade strategy (and even hire a speaker/trainer) would be well served to inquire to their potential provider around who is shaping their thinking?  What trends and ideas are they betting on?  How does their solution fit into the sum of the parts?  What is the enduring value proposition?

Puts a lot more pressure on the Consultants and Business Development Professionals.  That is the point.  To compete and succeed today you really need to be offering your client partners more.  A collective voice.

Be a student of the game.

Posted in Communications, Recruiting