Boston.com Hiring Hub: The HR Blog

April 28, 2006

Padded resumes
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:06 AM

'Tis the season when college seniors are pounding the pavement and resumes are flying everywhere. Many others are also out looking to land a job. But just how much of what recruiters and hiring managers see on those resumes - whether hard copy or electronic - can they believe these days?

According to "Getting wise to lies" in this week's TIME magazine, the answer is: less and less. Sadly, it holds true for those already on staff, as well, and at all levels of the organization::

Leery of executive Pinocchios lurking in their boardrooms, employers are stepping up efforts to spot them and weed them out. In the field of industrial and organizational psychology, figuring out why and how job applicants lie is a hot research topic, and new studies are warning companies about the dangers of employing a liar. As a result, 96% of businesses now conduct some sort of background check on job applicants, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (S.H.R.M.), a trade group. Meanwhile, the ranks of third-party screeners have exploded in the past 10 years into a $2 billion industry.

Is your firm on top of this issue? Or are you still relying on a smile, a handshake, and a phone call to a reference? Any new hire has an impact on your organization, but particularly for more senior hires you may want to consider some more thorough background checks.

For further information, check out these articles from NEHRA on BostonWorks:
Background basics
Background screening for future success
Best practices in hiring, part 1: looking beyond the resume
Best practices in hiring, part 2: testing and reference checks

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April 27, 2006

For the research-minded
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 3:21 PM

Can't get enough HR info? Then you may be interested in the International Abstracts of Human Resources, a website which was just brought to our attention here at the HR Blog:

Not only is IAHR the most comprehensive journal of abstracts in the field, it is also the easiest to use. The abstracts are organized into 80 different categories, making it easy to scan your topic of interest. Each issue also has a company index, so that you can easily find articles that mention particular companies (although those companies may not appear in the abstracts.)

Putting our database online has made IAHR even easier to use. Subscribers can search by author, keyword, category, and company.

In addition to numerous scholarly journals in the field, the service also contains abstracts of more popular, business-oriented publications such as SHRM's HR Magazine, Workforce Management, and more.

Check out the full list of publications abstracted. There is a fee to subscribe.

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April 26, 2006

Networking at parties, the gym, on a date, and even in the restroom
Posted by Diane Danielson at 1:18 PM

The Washington Post ran this tidbit on a recent DowntownWomensClub.com survey about how women are networking on the go, and even when they "have to go!"

RESTROOM NETWORKING?: Do you ever have the feeling that the great business ritual of networking is slowly creeping into every facet of life? A January poll of 1,000 women suggests that it is.
A party remained the most popular schmoozing venue, cited by 81 percent. That was followed by travel (plane, train or bus) by 53 percent, and the gym, by 41 percent. But some other spots might surprise you.

More than a third, 36 percent, said they have talked business in the ladies room, and more than 10 percent said they had done so while on a date. One woman even did her networking while having surgery.

"When do you get three doctors together?" she quipped.

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Ray of sunshine for Silicon makeover
Posted by at 11:52 AM

Sun Microsystems Inc. has promoted a brainy insider who promises to stay the computer maker's maverick course. Betcha a buck he will. He looks for solutions, wears a ponytail and likes to eat. No golf clubs, no country clubs and no excuses. Perfect for the "new" Silicon Valley.' Yet today's Wall Street Journal asks:

Sun's choice prompts this question: Does Jonathan Schwartz, who succeeds co-founder Scott McNealy as Sun CEO this week, have the management chops to revive a Silicon Valley giant?

Just a thought from Bostonworks.com's The Savvy Manager, Mary Helen Gillespie. Send your management musings to maryhelen@bostonworks.com.

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April 25, 2006

Recruiting ventures into the MySpace frontier
Posted by at 12:54 PM

Bring up MySpace with a college administrator or parent and you are likely to get an earful. MySpace is one of the largest and most trafficked social networking sites for high school and college students. Not only concerned about privacy issues and stalking, many adults also worry about their students' postings and the impact it may have upon the job search.

According to WebProNews, MySpace will soon be posting SimplyHired job listings.

Fox Interactive Media has invested $3.5 million in job search site SimplyHired.com and will display its job listings in the MySpace classifieds section...The year-old company aggregates classified listings from a number of sources, like job boards and company employment pages

I'm surprised that this move hasn't gotten more attention. This allegiance will allow employers to get jobs in front of passive candidates while not actually going on to the site itself. We will thus be spared visuals like seeing our top engineering candidate doing keg stands in a hula skirt. I for one am grateful.

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April 21, 2006

US jobless claims decrease sharply
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:45 AM

Keeping our finger on the economic pulse: today's Globe reports a noted decline in the number of new folks filing for unemployment benefits. But there is other cause for concern:

The number of people signing up for initial jobless benefits last week fell sharply, indicating that the US economy is still chugging along. But a closely watched gauge of future economic activity declined in March, suggesting potential trouble ahead.

Such mixed economic signals have led to predictions that the economy, which appeared to bounce back strongly in the first quarter from a lackluster October-to-December performance, could lose steam as the year progresses.

Read the entire piece from today's paper.

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Onboarding millennials
Posted by at 7:57 AM

Millennials in the Workplace
As the spring recruiting season draws to a close, I have begun shifting my focus to on-boarding. Again, the issue of millennials flooding the workplace rises to the top. What is the new generation? What are the bumps they may encounter as they enter a workplace filled with Gen Xers, Ys and Boomers? Can understanding generational differences inform a smoother on-boarding process?

I recently came across an excellent report by Russ Eckel on his research on millennials in the workplace.

Some of our colleagues found teaching these young workers difficult; finding them brash and overconfident. Yet we found their enthusiasm, their genuine curiosity, and their openness and candor refreshing; a rewarding change from the discouraged voice of their industrial elders.

The report details not only the results of an 18 month study he conducted here in the Boston area but a variety of corporate settings. It's is an excellent Millennial primer for recruiters and should be required reading before you plan your entry-level employee training.

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April 20, 2006

Personal debt can drive employees to distraction
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:06 AM

Just send a hefty check to the IRS? Then maybe you'll appreciate this story.

Workforce Management magazine reports a growing trend among employers to provide personal financial education to employees. Why? Because the financial pressure on so many in the workforce is greater than ever, and has a direct impact on individual performance and retention:

Personal debt may be a personal problem, but many employers now recognize the potential drag on their bottom line. Increasingly, companies are including basic financial education courses as part of their employee assistance programs.

The timing is right: Garman�s March 2005 research showed that 30 percent of U.S. employees feel overwhelming distress over their finances. At the end of 2005, Chicago-based EAP provider ComPsych asked employees that it serves to describe their financial situation. Twenty-eight percent said they were not only worse off than last year, but are also just one major setback away from financial disaster.

What is your firm doing to assist or improve the personal financial skills of your employees? Is it an area of concern for the company? Should you be doing something about it?

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April 13, 2006

Small businesses mull next steps to healthcare bill
Posted by at 1:15 PM

Governor Mitt Romney yesterday signed most of a sweeping new healthcare bill that will require all state residents to have health insurance by July 1, 2007. The impact on Bay State employers remains to be seen because the new law will

. . .require businesses with 11 or more workers to pay $295 per employee annually if the companies do not provide insurance. Romney vetoed the fee, but the Legislature is expected to override the veto.

Some business leaders are concerned about the mandated fee, and say small businesses will need to pass these fees onto customers.

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April 12, 2006

JAN in April
Posted by at 4:44 PM

More and more individuals are coming to the recruiting, hiring and on-boarding process with visible and hidden disabilities. Many recruiters are sensitive to the issues of disability, but don't know where to turn for effective, professional and accurate information. One of my favorite resources is JAN the Job Accommodations Network. JAN is a service of DOL's Office of Disability Employment Policy. It offers

free consulting services designed to increase the employability of people with disabilities by: 1) providing individualized worksite accommodations solutions, 2) providing technical assistance regarding the ADA and other disability related legislation, and 3) educating callers about self-employment options.

Looking for great disability etiquette guides? Click here.
Want information on accommodations for migraine headaches, CFS or psychiatric disabilities? Click on the links.

JAN is a great resource, is free and is available to consult with you by phone.

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April 11, 2006

Opening Day musings
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:32 AM

It's Opening Day at Fenway Park today! The weather is gorgeous, and the Old Towne Team will take the home field for the first time this year.

Well, make that the new Old Towne Team. In case you haven't looked lately, the team is sporting a new look with an entirely new infield and several other new additions, including notables (now-injured) Coco Crisp in center field replacing the (now-pinstriped) Johnny Damon and today's starting pitcher, fireballing youngster Josh Beckett.

Why am I reading this in the HR Blog, you say? Answer: because sports provide such a great, explicit metaphor for all organizations. Talent comes and goes. Same team, new faces. And the game goes on, head-to- head competition, the goal - winning - never changing.

So it is in business. Keep the talent pool fresh. Groom those that you have, move them up, shed the poorer performers, bring in the new and promising. And train them to play the game you need them to play.

Is the metaphor close enough to take the game as a business expense? Maybe that's a bit of a stretch. But if you take a client and discuss the above, maybe you just can write it off.

And out of pocket or not, in the box seats or not, enjoy the game and the promise of the season that lies ahead. It's Opening Day once again at Fenway Park.

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April 7, 2006

Hiring Salespeople
Posted by Jason Butler at 7:40 AM

I've worked at three different startups (including my own) over the past ten years. One of the biggest HR issues I've seen is with startups who feel their first hire in any discipline needs to be the Senior VP, someone who see the big picture and make the five-year plan.

I've always disagreed with this. Your first set of hires should be people who do stuff, people who get dirty, people who love the actual work as opposed to those who love managing people who do the actual work. If you spend three months dithering and planning instead of coding and selling, you'll lose your window and lose your market. And probably, lose your company.

Terry Gold agrees, and shares his thoughts on how entrepreneurs should hire salespeople.

Here's where I think a lot of entrepreneurs, particularly those that are bootstrapping, make a big mistake. They hire a VP of Sales and Marketing, capable of growing a large sales force. Maybe. The New VP spends a lot of time thinking about Positioning. They talk about Executive Selling, Leadership Alignment and Developing Value Propositions. What they probably won't talk about during the interview or after being hired is how many phone calls they are going to make to new prospects every day. When the sales don't happen, it's a product or market problem. (They say)
If you are leading a Rocket-fueled, VC-Backed Start-Up, maybe it makes sense to go right for the leadership who will then build out a real sales force. But if you are just hoping to get some sales help so that you can focus on the job of building your business, then you need someone who can first and foremost, SELL STUFF [sic].

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April 4, 2006

Google's Lake Wobegon Hiring Strategy
Posted by Jason Butler at 12:32 PM

Since I started with Boston.com last September, I've had the opportunity build out my team, hiring several new people. I've taken the challenge of only hiring people who are A-players or high-potentials.

Unfortunately, as we all know, few of those folks are in the market at any given moment. In the meantime, as the hiring manager, I'm the one feeling the pain while the position remains unfilled. That makes it awfully tough to maintain hiring discipline, but I'm trying.

Along the same lines, here's an interesting article from Google about their Lake Wobegon hiring strategy.

How do you maintain the skill level while roughly doubling in size each year? We rely on the Lake Wobegon Strategy, which says only hire candidates who are above the mean of your current employees.