I came across this post on the Orlando Sentinel website that inspired me to offer up a different view on why working mothers are desirable talent. The post “Have demands of motherhood made women undesirable employees?” points out how the strain of motherhood may have a negative impact on the perception of women in the workplace. It begs the question of whether employers should extend special treatment to working mothers vs. employees without children.

Financial Impact? You Bet!

I can spew out a bunch of opinions since I am a working mother, but let’s take more of a scientific approach. According to an article from USA Today, women make up half the American workforce. That is certainly a talent pool that cannot be alienated without seriously comprising productivity across the board.

That being said, what do working mothers have to offer the business world? Plenty! From a financial perspective (from U.S. Census Bureau’s latest Survey of Women-Owned Business Enterprises), women owned businesses:

• Make up 26.0 percent of the nation’s 20.8 million non-farm businesses
• Employ 7.1 million paid workers
• Generate $818.7 billion in sales

Talents of the Working Mother

Not too shabby ladies! Working mothers also have enhanced talents and skills that have developed due to the mass of responsibility we take on in our daily lives. Some areas where working moms tend to excel are:

• Being way super organized (balancing home and work gives us plenty of practice to do more with less)
• Queens of collaboration (creating a support network is a working mother’s best friend)
• Not afraid to take risks (conventional rules of engagement don’t tend to stay us)

What Working Mothers Want

When push comes to shove, working mothers are valuable members of the business community. Women will drift towards certain types of employers though. Companies that are family friendly will win the talent war every time when it comes to working moms. Employers that attract the working mother variety usually:

• Offer flexible work schedules (telecommuting full or part time is big)
• Have gyms and/or child care on site (save us time and convenience eases our minds)
• Provide career development and access to growth opportunities (we want career growth too)

Does that mean we should get special treatment vs. our child free counterparts (and the men too)? Of course not! Accountability is key. These policies should be available to all employees. Fair is fair!

Whether you like it or not, social media is here to stay. It will only get more popular, easily accessible and advanced. This has the potential to be a huge headache for companies, especially for their HR and legal departments.

No Policies? Get Some Fast!

Your employees are using social media. Most of us have common sense (hopefully) on what to write about and what not to write about. Some people may not understand that “you are what you post” and others outside of their network may see what they write. Herein lies the danger of not having policies regarding use about social media. Not having clearly defined do’s and don’ts can lead to:

• Confidential information about the company being leaked.
• Potential embarrassing situations for the company.
• Possible sexual harassment or hostile work environment issues.
• Company’s reputation being inadvertently damaged.
• Turn off potential employees and damage recruiting efforts.

Control the Message

It’s hugely important to control your company’s message. While 100% of what happens on the Internet cannot be monitored or controlled, having policy guidelines in place can help curtail potentially damaging situations. Employees will most certainly use social media and networking to connect with family, friends or past/present colleagues. Turn this interaction into employees being solid representatives of the company. Five must have social media policies are:

1. Protecting intellectual property – clearly state what is company intellectual property that cannot be posted via social media
2. Defining company’s message – define the company message and anything outside those parameters cannot be posted on social networks
3. Recruiting efforts – clearly state what the strategy and tactical plan is for recruiting potential new hires
4. Responding to media requests – provide instructions and a company contact for employees to forward to any media requests
5. Maintaining company reputation – outline what can and cannot be written about the company (a list of examples helps)

Are you on a bunch of social networking sites? If you are, then odds are you are getting bombarded with information. Eventually it all just becomes noise. How useless is that? I’ve gotten tips from people and have come across tactics that work. It’s simple and easy to implement! Keep a look out for tips and tricks coming regularly on Connecting Redefined.

Tweeps All Over the Place

As an avid Twitter user, you probably have hundreds to thousands of followers. You follow them for a reason, but sometimes in can be hard to sift through the mass of tweets coming your direction. Vital information might be buried! Not only are tweets that are important to you being lost, but so is knowledge that you may want to pass on to your network.

Organize Your Tweeps

Bow down to the Twitter gods, for they have answered your prayers! Twitter just released a new feature called Lists. This is the best thing since hash tags. Lists allows you to create a “bucket” or “category” and assign your followers to it. Here’s a few handy features Twitter Lists provides you with:

• Create customizable lists that can be either public or private
• Ability to create multiple lists
• Assign followers to one or more lists
• Edit and delete lists (just in case you make an oopsie)
• View other people’s lists

Uses for Twitter Lists

While knowing what a feature does, it helps to know how to use it in real life. Not only can using Twitter lists organize your tweeps, it can aid in the execution of just about any strategy you’ve got in motion. A few ideas:

• Expertise: create a list for each of your areas of expertise which makes it simpler to see what you are all about at a glance
• Marketing: create a list for each of your products so people can see what others are saying
• Training: create a list for each of your training topics/subjects, use for specific groups by locking the list down as private
• Recruiting: create a list of the different departments or office locations you have for your company to make job hunting simpler

I recently saw a question on LinkedIn that I had to share. It is the question that has plagued HR professionals and hiring managers every time they post an opportunity!

The Question

This is the question that has sparked a rather long discussion on LinkedIn: Hire employees with the skills or behaviors? There is some debate on whether you hire the person because the right attitude for the company and you can train them to do the work. Or, hire those who already have the skills and orient them on the company culture. What do you do? And, would your answer change based on the level of the person being hired?

My Response

What a thought provoking question! This is a dilemma that continually plagues hiring managers. From a talent management perspective, I’d hire who ever will get the job done. This requires both skill and behavior.

First, is the corporate culture clearly defined? If not, it should be. Even from department to department, the culture will change. Make sure the the attributes you are looking for are worked into the job description. Remember, attributes can’t be taught! This will attract the right talent and make the hiring manager/HR person’s life easier from the get go.

Second, are the job responsibilities clearly defined? Make sure the opportunity is written for the right level of talent the company needs. Writing a job description for a VP is obviously different than writing one for middle management or early career level.

Third, is the initial selection process mapped out? Being able to sift through the hundreds (if not thousands of resumes) piling in for an opportunity. Look for the ones that go out of their way to reach the decision maker. These are the hungry ones who want the job. Plus, it shows their networking skills and resourcefulness.

Fourth, who will interview the candidates? Having the right questions asked by the right people is crucial in determining fit, skill and behavior wise. HR recruiters can normally handle the initial screening which will weed out the best talent. Interviewing with the team, individually or together, others they will work with and the department head is a targeted approach to zeroing in on the right person. Don’t forget to compare notes!

Your Thoughts

Hiring for skills or attributes will always ignite debate. I am interested to get more opinions! Post your thought or join the discussion on LinkedIn.

Retiring with a company after working there for 30 years? One income family? Pension? Those older and wiser have told of such experiences. Gen Xers and generations to follow will be hard pressed know such a life! While this may be perceived as a good or bad thing, that all depends on one’s outlook.

An Employee’s Market

Although 2009 has not been exactly friendly to the employee, the market always changes. Due to the over abundance of people on the hunt for those elusive opportunities, the perfect storm for lack of talent is coming. Employers beware! Employees will have the luxury of picking the best job and company for them. Here’s why the pendulum is swinging:

• 25% of U.S. companies have not prepared for Baby Boomers retiring
• Today’s employees will have 10 to 14 jobs by the age of 38
• 1 in 4 workers has been with their current employer for less than a year
• 1 in 2 workers has been with their current employer for less than 5 years

What Should Employers Do?

Companies need talent to run effectively! It would be great if everything could be automated by robots, but the chances of that happening are slim to none. Businesses must have a plan to combat the challenges they will be facing in the near future. Some suggestions on how to prepare for the talent shortage:

• Have a plan for succession at level of the organization, including a sound knowledge management strategy
• Don’t be afraid to empower employees, see what shakes out of a more self-directed workforce
• Solid benefits, including training and professional development and flexible work schedules, to attract and keep employees
• Communicate, communicate, communicate! The younger generations will look for transparency.

What Should Employees Do?

While the job market will favor the employee eventually, the employer still has its pick of the litter. With the U.S. unemployment rate reaching a scary 9.8% in September 2009, job seekers are fighting for job opportunities. Regardless which way the pendulum is swinging, its important to be mindful of one’s career management efforts. A few tips to keep relevant, marketable and valuable are:

• Network and maintain relationships (use social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to keep in touch)
• Resumes should be updated every 6 months
• Start a blog that personifies one’s professional experience (most blogging sites offer a free version like Wordpress or Blogger)
• Take any relevant training, certifications or degree programs (staying educated shows employers dedication and sincerity)

What is the Facebook generation (a.k.a. Generation F)? This is the new generation of people who live, learn and laugh using social networking sites. Facebook is one of the more well known social networking communities where people are connecting, sharing and exchanging knowledge all around the globe.

The Generation F Personality

What does Facebook (and social networking in general) have to do with learning? Plenty! Let’s start with some general personality traits of Generation F:

• Likes working independently (telecommuting huge draw for this talent)
• Works in spurts to accomplish tasks instead of dedicated 8 hour day (flexible work day a must)
• Drawn to and can learn new technology easily
• Wants freedom of choice (prioritizing their own days, working on projects that ignite their passion)
• Collaborative and self-directed (let the team assemble and run relatively autonomously, see what shakes out)

Preparing for Generation F

How can a learning professional prepare for Generation F? Professional development is a big part of keeping these talented resources engaged and happy. Training and development has its work cut out for them. Here are some suggestions on how to prepare for Generation F in the learning arena:

• Beef up your self-paced learning offerings (this generation will eat up online courses)
• Virtual training instead of classroom based courses (they will like the convenience of taking training virtually)
• Good variety of professional development (offer lots of topics in professional development, survey employees and give them what they want)
• Train management to engage Generation F (communicating with, motivating, and engaging this generation is different than others. Give management what they need to be successful.)
• Collaborative learning is huge (Generation F learns as much from others as from a course. Give them the opportunity to share knowledge with each other in an online setting.)

Meet the Needs of Generation F

It’s no surprise that many will ask “why must we do this?” Bottom line, Generation F will be in the talent pool in full force before we know it. It’s important to keep them satisfied, well-trained and have no thoughts of leaving the organization. Their knowledge and skills will go right out the door with them. Here’s a few facts to show what companies will be facing:

• The top 10 most in-demand jobs 2010 did not exist in 2004.
• Students in 2009 are preparing for jobs that don’t yet exist.
• According to the U.S. Department of Labor will have 10 to 14 jobs by the age of 38.
• 1 in 4 workers has been with their current employer for less than a year.
• 1 in 2 workers has been with their current employer for less than 5 years.
• 59% of the U.S. workforce is either ready to leave or “stuck” in a job.  Only 14% of employees are completely engaged.

What does all this mean? Companies will be fighting more fiercely than ever for skilled talent. If investing in Generation F’s professional development and future keeps them, it’s a win-win for all!

In technology, you never want to be labeled as “legacy”. It’s like someone calling a pregnant lady fat. Duck and cover! Legacy means that your technology is on its way out. It’s fallen behind the times because there has been such a shift in how technology has emerged and what it does.

If your company trains, odds are there is a learning management system (LMS) being used to some capacity. Odds are also that the LMS is quickly becoming antiquated. Sure, you can track your training, take online courses, pull up transcripts, manage talent pretty much end to end. Thanks to Web 2.0, the collaborative piece has changed and the definition of “content” is dramatically different from my days as an eLearning developer.

Essentially, eLearning 1.0 is dead. People are looking for more out of their learning experience. Social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, LinkedIn and slew of others has changed the game. These platforms are all about user driven content and a sense of community. Both are major components that most LMS technologies are missing.

In turn, social learning technologies may have mastered the community and connection, but lack what a traditional LMS can provide. In the social world, just about anything can be content used for learning purposes. Videos, images, blog posts, articles, slide shows, online courses, music and the list goes on! In the LMS world, content is defined as an object used in an online course that can be viewed and tracked. You can see there is a massive difference!

So what is a company, employee or consultant to do? My technology is old! There are few vendors in the training space that have mastered a true social learning platform. The good news is there are many great LMS’s and social networking platforms out there. While they are stand alone, integrations are a beautiful thing. The solution does not always have to be an all in one. And eventually, the vendors will catch up to the market needs. It will be interesting to see who gets there first!

Being an entrepreneur and mom all rolled in to one, I’ve gained a pretty unique perspective on striking a balance between work and personal life. I get up early to get a start on the day. Wake the kid up and we eat breakfast together. The husband floats in and out. Work out eventually!

The most important point is that I get to be a part of my daughter’s life. I am an involved mommy! In turn, between dance classes, trips to the park, journey to the library and all other sorts of after school activities, I get to meet other involved parents. Now that the kids are in school, we’ve got moms and dads who are at home with some time to spare. You don’t know how many parents I talk to that would love to have a part time flexible gig to make a little extra money.

I see super potential here! You’ve got a slew of small businesses who need part time help and an untapped talent pool who have some time to give. Think of all the things, as a small business owner, you have to do that would be awesome to hand off to someone else! I know I could use help, but cannot yet afford to another full time person.

When it comes to time consuming, but non-committal type tasks, think of how great an extra pair of part times hands would be. Especially if the hours per week will vary, a stay at home mom or dad is most useful. Besides, parents who take on the kids are totally organized!

Part time peeps can help with:

• social networking for your business (you know how many moms I see all over Facebook and Twitter?)
• organizing receipts and files (my least favorite activity)
• prepping RFPs
• research, competitive or otherwise
• finding leads, checking government sites for contracts
• keeping your schedule straight, answering the phone (can get a Google Voice account to ring where ever)

Where does one find these awesome resources? Talk to people when you take the kids to activities. Scour the schools when the kids are getting dropped off or waiting at the bus stop. Social networking!

So you’ve been laid off, now what? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, over 500,000 in November 2008 people were added to already overwhelming number of those laid off and asking themselves that very question. Unemployment is now up to 6.7%. This is the highest it’s been nationally since 1974. Some of us weren’t even alive yet!

It’s no doubt that times are scary and we need to brace ourselves for another 18 to 24 months, as the experts are projecting, of the insanity that is our economic outlook. This leads us back to our question. So you’ve been laid off, now what?

Well, there are plenty things you can do to hunt down the next big opportunity. The major job or contract opportunity boards are so flooded with information, using them may not be as productive as you would like. Showing a little ingenuity on finding or creating your own opportunities is highly impressive and says much about you as a person. First things first though, decide what your desired outcome is and that will drive your entire direction.

1. Decide what you want to do:

• work for yourself or work for someone else

2. Target your search for opportunities:

• Make a list of ideal companies to work for or with
• Make a list of jobs titles you want or services/products you can provide

3. Check company for existing opportunities:

• Check the company website for existing jobs or contract positions open
• Do a search on Google on the company, see what comes up
• Try sites like JibberJobber that offer more than job postings, but total career management
• Check out the major social networks, like LinkedIn to see what the company has going on

4. Find key people to contact:

• User your existing network to search for people in the targeted companies, like HR or department head you want to work for or with
• Search local Chamber of Commerce website for info on company leaders
• See who you know who works for the target companies and ask for an introduction

5. Use those contacts you found:

• Write an email to the person you found, specifically stating how you can help them and how you found them
• Make sure to include your resume & cover letter or your website on services/products you can provide
• Request a time to meet at the person’s convenience, such an important call to action!

6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 until you land the opportunity you want.

Don’t let your good advise go unheard. If you have any experiences or suggestions you would like to share with others, please leave a comment!

Good luck and happy opportunity hunting!

Job seekers beware! Many Human Resource (HR) professionals have jumped on the social networking bandwagon. As more and more potential employees join the various social networks out there (LinkedIn, Facebook, and Myspace just to name a few), the information one can ascertain from a simple Internet search is unreal. This definitely changes the meaning of a background check.

So what does this mean for the recruiting world? Plenty! Get familiar with social networking and the platforms out there. If it is not already a part of your company’s hiring process to check out potential candidates on social networks, it will be soon. In fact, there are platforms out there geared towards recruiters that allow you to search most of the popular social networks by entering in an email address or name. Spokeo is one of the major providers in this arena.

Here are some tips and tricks for HR professionals to navigate their way through the social networking maze.

- For free searches, simply type the candidate’s name in a major search engine like Google or Yahoo. The results you get are very comprehensive.

- Check out the major social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo, Twitter, or Myspace. Most of these platforms have a comprehensive search feature that allows you to enter in multiple criteria.

- Join the social networks yourself. These are good recruiting tools to find excellent talent that may not have applied for the position.

- Try searching for people on networks that capture information from several other social networking sources.Twellow is a pretty good one.

Make sure to share your best practices too by leaving a comment!