A Pinteresting Resume

Okay, so you've updated your profile on LinkedIn, networked with your contacts on Facebook and tweeted about your greatest accomplishments in the hopes that a prospective employer will notice you. There may be another social media resource you haven't though to use, though - Pinterest. In case you've not read any business or lifestyle news stories in the past week you may have missed the latest social media darling. Pinterest describes its web site as an "online pinboard" where users can place pictures and videos they find interesting that relate to a particular topic or theme. According to a Vault blog article, job seekers have begun using Pinterest to tell the world in a creative way about their interest in securing a job. Below is an example of one user's resume (posted by a helpful(?) spouse) that compares his body of work to human evolution:

Unfortunately, Pinterest has yet to catch up with the expanding use of its site and currently does not have a separate category for resumes. This, of course, makes it difficult for job seekers to be discovered. In addition, the theme of the site makes a good fit only for those seeking a position in areas where creativity is one of the foremost skills required. Perhaps a good argument can be made, however, that all positions could benefit from at least a little show of creativity. What would your creative Pinterest resume look like? For my fellow human resource managers: Would this peak your interest and lead you to further explore an applicant with a Pinterest resume as a calling card?

I'm Too Productive to be Infected

Whether tis nobler to suffer the coughs and runny noses of productivity, or to take arms against a sea of germs - that is the question. Classical literature aside, sick employees in the workplace is nothing to sneeze at. Although a large number of companies have paid time off policies which include paid sick leave, a "2010 study by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found that nearly 40 percent of workers whose companies gave them paid sick days still reported going to work with a contagious illness such  as the flu" as stated by Rex W. Huppke in his I Just Work Here column for the Sun Sentinel. 

To make matters worse, 80 percent of food service and hotel workers are not covered by policies allowing paid sick leave - so, that means you can safely assume a great many of them are heading to work with the sniffles on any given day. Well, the question of why the second group of employees goes to work while sick is easy - they need the pay. Why, though, does the first group - employees with paid sick leave - arrive at the workplace carrying their germy baggage? The answer is stigma. The stigma attached to calling in sick. The fear of being labeled an unproductive, disloyal employee who is not a team player and, worse, is a "goof-off". 

The flip side is the organization's concern: a dip in productivity (assuming from employees who just wanted an unscheduled day off). Some organizations have implemented formal incentive programs to both reduce call outs and reward employees with compensation for unused leave. Such programs often act to protect productivity by stipulating consequences for employees who use all their sick leave, according to the 2010 SHRM study Examining Paid Leave in the Workplace. 

Let's go back to the employees who are actually sick and who feel compelled to share their rueful state with fellow employees? Perhaps that can be addressed by the organization as well  - through company culture rather than formal policy. As Huppke states: "A worker should never feel like he has to drag his weary body into the office just to be marked present for the day. And a manager should be able to trust the workers he or she oversees and believe that when they call in sick, they're truly sick, or have a sick child to tend to". 

  

Application over Calculation

This week I had the pleasure of attending a leadership seminar presented by Dr. Bill Daggert of the International Center for Leadership in Education. The seminar itself surrounded a belief that our present education system is not asking the right questions and is afraid to make the real changes required to meet the demands of future (and present, really) business workforce needs. To summarize: we must focus what Dr. Daggert terms "rigor and relevance". During the wrap up of his presentation, Dr. Daggert mentioned the unique web search engine Wolfram Alpha. Actually, Wolfram Alpha is more a computational engine.  Conrad Wolfram, the man behind the Alpha, feels about math instruction much the same way that Dr. Daggert feels about education in general: application should trump calculation.  

I mention all of this because what both Dr. Daggert and Mr. Wolfram are so passionate about has implications in any field - certainly within the field of business and human resource management. In fact, business has been behind much of U.S. education policy. Why? Not preparing students for the skills they will need now and in the future will have a deeply negative impact on the future of U.S. businesses - and, because human resource managers are partners in making their organization successful - we must pay attention to this as well. 

Take a listen to the TED talk where Mr. Wolfram outlines why the educational system should embrace computers and stop forcing an industrialized society mentality on students. Listen to what he says and take away how you can apply these concepts to your profession (and maybe affect an impact on the future)...

Selective Selection and the Picky Parley

Matthew Swyers, founder of web-based law firm the Trademark Company, is a picky interviewer if his Time.com article is any sort of indicator. Resumes received with spelling errors overlooked by the dubious "spell check" and cover letters received without resumes attached are not easily forgiven. Swyers even goes as far as to speak with law firm employees prospective candidates had contact with just to gain a larger picture of the candidate's mettle. 

I am going to say, I have to agree with Swyers. While I have certainly made some spelling mistakes (having relied on Mr. Paperclip, the ubiquitous Microsoft Office "helper") in my history I have learned the value of proofreading old style - just read over the darned thing! The article "5 Things To Look for in a Great Job Interview", gives one (very) embarrassing example from a law school professor involving a very important missing letter in a PowerPoint presentation - no doubt a result of an assistant's reliance on spell check. It is also a display of good judgement, and just plain good practice, to be cordial to others you come into contact with. Don't discount those that you feel are not directly connected with the hiring process - these are your potential fellow employees, treat them respectfully. Case in point: I recently had a neighbor's friend ask if my organization "had any positions better than the ones posted since she has a degree" (referring to our entry-level/clerical positions). Well, I am certainly not inclined to assist anyone who belittles our employees (regardless of their position or training).

The article lists the five things as:

1. Attention to detail
2. Proofread
3. Preparedness
4. Phone and email correspondence
5. Honesty is overrated (trust me - it will make sense when you read the article)

Now excuse me, I must run the spell check on this post before it hits the blug.....

Step Into My Cubicle

Can I speak to you in private? Come right over here into my cubicle. What, you don't feel that is private because my walls don't reach to the ceiling  and anyone can hear our conversation (unless we whisper sweet nothings into each other's ear)? Okay, how about this conference room over here. It's empty for the moment and has walls that reach the ceiling. Yes, I know, the walls are made of glass but maybe the other employees won't start any rumors about why your speaking with human resources (uh huh..).

The scenario above may remind human resource managers, general managers, and anyone who has attempted to hold a private meeting in an "open" work space of an uncomfortable situation. There is no disputing the benefits of open floor plans and work spaces designed for collaboration, creativity, and unobstructed views. Let's face it though, wide open work spaces are not conducive to privacy in the human resource realm. David Lewis, president of human resource consulting company OperationsInc, recounts in the article "Indecent Exposure: The Downsides of Working in a Glass Office" a situation in which he had to hold a conversation in his car with a client after a first attempt in a stairwell. The client worked in a cubicle and no rooms were available that would protect the client's privacy. 

The article also points out that glass walled offices and conference rooms are not great at suppressing sound. "Even when soundproofed, glass walls allow 50% to 100% more noise to pass through, compared with soundproofed drywall" according to the article's author Sue Shellenbarger. In addition (and this is, admittedly, a little funny) there is what is termed "the bird factor - people slamming into walls". Companies address this by adhering decals on the glass at eye level.  

What is your perfect office design? You may want to consider the type of work being done and the relationship between various tasks and positions. You may not be able to perform a full remodel of your work area a la HGTV, but you may be able to mitigate issues by adding a tabletop water fountain (muffles low conversations)  or by finding creative ways to hold private meetings (Mind if I walk with you on the way to that meeting on the other side of the campus?).