It's Casino Night for my kids' school. I don't expect much from this event, but it turns out to be more fun than I would have thought. It's surprising how PTA volunteers can really let loose when alcohol is consumed at great quantities. I talk with two stupid-drunk people at length, and another person with whom I have an interesting conversation.

The interesting…

Attendance is not important for professionals! (This doesn't apply to unskilled positions or craft type positions- retail, manufacturing / etc.)

Focus on achievements and results, not what time the person showed up at his or her desk.  Is the work getting done?  Are they clients happy and continuing to do business with your company?  Are goals being met?  If you feel like that person has to be sitting at his or her desk at 8:00 AM sharp to produce results, maybe you need to replace…

Many of the speakers at the HR Symposium quoted the statistic:  "83% of executives (CEOs) now list talent management as their greatest concern" (or something similar, such as available talent doesn't have the necessary skills to be effective, etc.).  If that is the case, why is HR still treated like the red-headed step-child?  My experience leads me to believe it's because such a high percentage of HR practitioners are women and such a high percentage of CEOs are men.  If the same…

Knowledge Nugget 2 from the HR Symposium:

Integration and alignment are additional themes that kept coming up at the symposium.  Employees should be looking for work-life integration these days instead of work-life balance.  Work-life balance is very difficult, if not impossible, but work-life integration is doable!

All levels of the organization and all employees, vendors, and other stakeholders should have alignment and integration.  Departments, processes, and systems should…

Knowledge Nugget 3- Customization

Customization is another theme in business these days.  Providing customization can be one way to innovate (one of the previous nuggets).

Think about the various motivations of your employees; what motivates one is different from what motivates another.  While you do need to treat employees fairly, you don't have to treat them all exactly the same.  Figure out their individual motivators and reward them appropriately given their performance and…

The shifting personal and work values of the newer generation are creating an opportunity for a bilateral beneficial relationship between manager and millennial. Mentorship is something millennials crave, but are not receiving.

A study found that only 2% of college-educated Millennials …

When it's time to hire someone new for your company, you'll need to turn your attention to writing a job description.

An effective job description is a key part of attracting the right candidate for your job. A well-written description provides a short introduction to both the role and your company, letting candidates know what they can expect if they apply, and what…

*** Please note this post originally appeared on The RecruitLoop Blog ***

He promised me an upgrade.

“It looks pretty empty up the front, sir. Just be out at the airport a bit earlier than normal and it should be a sure thing. They’ve overbooked economy…

Daniel Chester French's sculpture of Ralph Waldo Emerson

It was a few years ago when I first read Emerson's Self Reliance.  It was recently I re-read it. It is a brilliant master-piece of writing that has given me hope and focus when I need that extra push and motivation to create vast recruiting outcomes of amazing fit.  This quote in particular stands out to…

This post on LinkedIn got featured in the "Recruiting & Hiring" channel! (maybe they don't read posts before featuring?)

While professionals may consider changing jobs for many reasons other than money, the salary is one of the most important factors. If you …

You've been talking about this for at least the 20 years I've been in HR- probably longer.  If it hasn't happened by now, it's not going to happen.  The next time I hear the phrase "get a seat at the table" or "getting a seat at the table", I think my head is going to explode (or at least spin around).   How about you spend less time talking and more time learning about your business and industry; then just apply the knowledge and deliver results.  If you know your business and your…

What really constitutes a Gen X-er?  One speaker I heard at the HR Symposium last week said that Baby Boomers have birthdates through 1975.  That pissed me off, because that puts me in the category of a Baby Boomer, which I'm not.  I'm Gen X.  Some websites and speakers on the generation say that Gen X starts with people who have birthdates in 1961; one says 1964.  One says 1967.  You can probably find some source that says a different year each for every year from 1961 and 1975 if you look…

Matching open positions with the best fit candidates can challenge even the best of recruitment professionals. Liz Hall (@lizabethmhall), Executive Director of Training and Development at C&A Industries, Inc., on the other hand, has a pretty good grasp on the needs organizations have when filling open…

This has become a cause of great hilarity for me, to be honest.

So many buffoons predicting the demise of recruiters.

Tech-legend wannabees, internal recruiters with a barrow to push, disaffected clients, and a host of other misinformed or biased loudmouths…

False advertising alert:

We were told our continuing education certificates would be available after the Symposium, but they are not available.  The website now says:

"CONTINUING EDUCATION CERTIFICATE UPDATE

Thursday, May 14, 2015, 3:00 pm



Please note that SHRM has made last minute changes to the activity (session) ID's for the 2015 Gulf Coast Symposium. As a result,…

I have seen a number of great articles recently discussing the importance of the marketing function to the recruitment industry. The nature of recruitment has evolved and recruiters must treat candidates as businesses treat their best customers, engaging at every point of the ‘buying cycle’ and not just when they are ready to buy, or in this case, change jobs. As one article describes it, trying to place a candidate who is already looking to move jobs…

Knowledge Nugget 2 from the HR Symposium:

The book, "The Power of Full Engagement" comes highly recommended to me.  I am looking forward to reading it and I am sure other HR professionals will get a lot out of it as well.

I thought I would share some knowledge nuggets from the Gulf Coast HR Symposium 2015.  The first knowledge nugget is Innovation.  Innovation is one of the themes that kept popping up from different sources over the course of the conference.  Companies that don't innovate will become extinct.  It's not enough to just be good at what you do anymore or be a low cost provider.  Companies need to start re-thinking their mindset about risk-taking too.  Companies should not be trying to eliminate…

The Gulf Coast HR Symposium 2015 was May 13 through May 15.  I enjoyed it, but it was not as good as the last time I attended.  I was really disappointed in the Key Note speakers and a few of the sessions that I attended.  A few of the sessions were excellent though. 

I really enjoyed the session "Agents Aren't Just for Hollywood" on Axiology by Don Everett. …