Category Archives: Employer Branding

In the early days of internet job boards, I ran an experiment. I wanted to see how many jobs I could apply to in a day. I got on this kick because searching for jobs and thoughtfully applying for them was really, really boring.

I found out that I could apply for about 70 jobs a day before my eyes glazed over completely. I also found out that I could do this for 17 days in a row before I really needed a day off.

That’s almost 1,200 jobs.

Guess what? I didn’t get a response to a single one of those jobs. Not one. Basically, they gave me every bit as much attention as I gave them.

Most people do something similar when they look for work online. Eventually, your mind numbs and it becomes impossible to tell what you’re applying for. Your judgment starts to falter and pretty soon, you’re slamming out resumes as fast as you can.

Part of the problem is that job descriptions are painfully awful to read. Part of the problem is that it seems like doing a lot of stuff and staying busy is how you get a job. Part of the problem is that everyone else feels that way and as a result, lots of companies are buried in resumes that are only sort of applicable to the job.

The people on the other end of the chain have the same problem. They look at the stack of applicants and try to sift to the ones that fit. Their eyes glaze over and they slip as they reject. Pretty soon, they are only looking for perfect fits (which guarantees that the person won’t last in the job).

So what do you do?

It may be the case that you need to do some busy work. So, by all means, apply for 10 or 20 jobs a day. Just don’t pay much attention to them.

With the other eight hours in your job hunting work day, focus on one company. Learn about it, figure out what you’d like to do there and go to work on building a network that gets you access to the people who’d hire you.

What you’re really looking for is an interview. It doesn’t really matter how you get it. Remember, all job hunting is about getting the interview.

Why You’ll Never Get A Job By Searching For One is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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Are you 20, 70 or 10? Joe Lavelle is a management consultant, personal coach and author of the widely acclaimed, Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail. He refers to his book as “the employee handbook that your employer hasn’t given you,” and in it is some great advice for those looking to move their careers onward and upward.

In Chapter 3, “Partnering with Human Resources,” Lavelle takes a page from the playbook of John “Jack” Welch, who was the Chairman and CEO of General Electric from 1981 to 2001. Lavelle notes that under Welch, GE was always searching for more effective ways to evaluate the organization, because he (Welch) understood the importance of legitimate feedback on employee and corporate growth.

Are You Making Yourself Vital In Your Company?

Welch’s “vitality curve” was a tool he used to separate the staff, top to bottom, into three unique groups: Group “A” were the top 20%, and they were rewarded with stock options, promotions and bonuses. Group “B” were the middle 70% of the “vitality curve.” This group didn’t deliver the most brilliant or inspired performances, but Welch considered them vital since they were the majority and were typically steady and reliable.

The bottom 10% made up Group “C.” According to Lavelle, “Welch believed these low-producing team members were more likely to enervate than energize, and GE regularly and efficiently counseled out anyone that fell into this class.” Some accused Welch of cruelty here, but he believed his approach was in the employee’s best interest. He reasoned that they would be better off finding a field that would more aptly suit their skills, abilities and interests.

Why You Should Care

You may be asking yourself what this has to do with you and your career. After all, no such policies or grouping are in place where you work. So why should you care?

What you should realize is this: There is not a company of any size on this planet that does not use this exact system in some form or another. They may have different names for it, or they may not refer to it at all. But they do use it.

If you’re not sure which group you fall into, it may be time for a little self-evaluation. If you discover that your performance level makes you a “C” player, don’t fret.

How to Boost Your Vitality

Following are five steps you can take right now to get into the “B” club, and possibly even Club A!

1) Speak to a supervisor before it’s too late. Letting someone know that you are aware that your performance may be less than stellar is a great first step in elevating yourself off of the chopping block. Your supervisor has a vested interest in keeping the staff together, and they are rarely interested in having to go through the effort required to fire you and hire someone else.

2) Follow Lavelle’s advice by creating a 90-day plan for yourself, than share that plan with your boss. Now, make a new first impression by meeting or exceeding all of the objectives on your plan.

3) Zero in on the parts of your job that inspire you. Then, make yourself the go-to person for that particular chore. If there isn’t anything that inspires you, be willing to do whatever it is everyone else seems to avoid and do it with a confident attitude.

4) Showing up early and staying late is an easy one. The problem is some people actually believe that no one notices just because they have given up on urging compliance by them. Believe it. They know, and they notice, and it may be all the ammunition they need when the time comes to cull the herd.

5) Associating with members of the “A” and “B” group is a great way to learn by observing. Emulating the actions of those you aspire to be like will almost always lead to greater success.

Like the man who has noticed his pants are fitting a little too tight, owning the problem is the surest way to agree to the solution.

How To Become An ‘A’ Employee When You Feel Like A ‘C’ Employee is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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Small business co-workers have to tolerate a lot of bad behavior, especially since office mates are working in close quarters. But sometimes that behavior crosses the line from annoying to downright wrong. Whether it’s stealing or gossiping, here’s a look at five bad behaviors you should never engage in and why they could torpedo your career:

Thievery

There’s a reason stealing is against the law and while stealing a co-worker’s credit won’t land you in jail, it certainly won’t win you any fans among your peers.  “Taking credit for someone else’s work is pretty common and is not as overt as you may think,” says Joel Garfinkle, author of Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career To The Next Level.  Whether it’s taking over a project near completion or claiming credit during a meeting, ultimately it leads to employees not trusting the perpetrator. According to Garfinkle, the motivation for stealing credit varies from political maneuvering to making a power play, but either way it turns co-workers off and creates an atmosphere that is less collaborative and less trusting. “It has more of an impact in a small setting because there are less people,” says Garfinkle, noting that in a small company the perception that someone isn’t trustworthy is apt to spread a lot quicker than in a large company.

Office Infidelity

Office romances are inevitable since we spend most of our days at work, but it’s a huge ‘no no’ when two married workers are carrying on an office affair. “Either in a corporate setting or smaller office, having an affair is bad and wrong,” says Garfinkle.  Regardless of the moral implications, that affair could at best throw your judgment into question and at worst get you fired. People are apt to treat you differently if they know about the affair not to mention gossip about you behind your back.  “If you are having an affair with someone at work, people will judge and have a reaction to you based on your value system,” says Garfinkle. If cooling your heels is out of the question, he says to be as discreet as possible. “You want people to see you for your work not your sexual exploits,” says Garfinkle.

Constant Complaining & Negativity

Nobody likes a Debbie Downer nor do they want to hear continuous complaints about pretty much everything during the work day.  “It can be hugely destructive to your personal career and the company,” says Jeanne Yocum, founder of the blog Succeeding in Small Business, of complaining and negativity.  While the complaints may be justified and the negativity warranted, a bad attitude at work will not only annoy co-workers but could ultimately get you fired. According to Yocrum, a boss will likely try to get to the root cause of the bad behavior, but if it’s simply a personality trait, especially in a small office setting, your days are probably numbered.  “You have to realize what you’re doing to the organization and the morale of other people around you,” says Yocum. Bosses can’t let it go on, she says.

Gossiping

Gossiping is a fact of life in many office settings, but if you are the person doing the gossiping it will not only undermine your credibility, but it will create negativity with the people you work with. “What happens is it gets back to the person (you’ve been gossiping about) and undermines the relationship with that person,” says Yocum. That’s fine if it’s not someone you work with on a daily basis, but if it’s one of your team members, it could hurt job performance and thus put your job at risk. In a small office setting, the gossiping will likely spread quicker than in a big company, as will the harsh judgment of the gossiper.  “If you are viewed as someone that’s a gossiper, co-workers will be less open with you and more skeptical about whatever you say,” says Yocum. “You’ll create a reputation that you’re not trustworthy and you don’t have credibility.”

Passing the Buck

Nothing can be more annoying than a co-worker that won’t own up to mistakes or take his or her share of the blame if something goes wrong. Chances are that person is quick to take credit, but when the going gets tough he or she points a finger. “It’s really bad to blame others and not take responsibility,” says Garfinkle. “People you’re blaming know the truth about the situation.” While throwing your co-workers under the bus may make you look good, keep doing it and it will not only undermine your relationships with your office mates, but eventually the boss will catch on. “A person’s reputation and credibility is really important in an organization,” says Garfinkle.

5 Bad Behaviors To Avoid In A Small Office is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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If you are a 2012 graduate and you landed a full-time job, first off – congratulations! The job market remains tough and although the unemployment rate for 2012 graduates has decreased to 7.2%, you are one of few graduates with a salary and benefits to depend on.

For most May graduates, not only have you landed a job, but your start date isn’t until the fall, leaving you with the entire summer off. Many of you probably have a summer planned of pool-side relaxation, maybe a vacation planned here or there and weekend trips to visit friends marked on your calendars. 

Without a doubt you should be celebrating your last free summer, but remember – your competition is still at work.

If all you bring to the table on your first day is a beautiful, bronzed tan, you may be kicked to the curb before you know it. Here are a few ways to stay sharp this summer:

1. Fine-tune yourself

Now is the perfect time to shape your personal brand. Just because you secured a job does not mean it is time to throw your resume and portfolio out of the window. Perfect all of your materials and be sure they are flawless and up-to-date. Believe me, you WILL need these again. Your personal brand takes constant work to maintain, but view it as the definition of yourself in a dictionary of thousands of employees. Try starting up your own blog, perhaps, or become more of an influence on your social media by sharing useful and knowledgeable information.

2. Clean it up

To be blunt – your college days are over. Pictures of you doing a keg stand at a frat party for the public to view are no longer acceptable (even though they never really were). This is not to say you have to throw out all of your precious college memories, it just means to take them off of your social media platforms. If you want respect at your new job, you have to earn it. You have worked hard to acquire your new position, it would be quite embarrassing to lose it over a snap-shot of you funneling a beer.

3. Dive into your industry

Get ahead this summer by keeping up with all of the trends in your industry. Google Reader, for example, is a great way to follow relevant articles and posts pertaining to your field. Pick and choose some of the most prominent sources to subscribe to and browse through them each day. The convenience of having all your news in one place makes it an easy one-stop-shop for diving into your industry.

 4. Hi, hello, how are you?

The networking never ends. For those of you working in a new city in the fall, get your foot in the door early. Become familiar with your surroundings and know the area in which you will be living in. It is important to talk to as many people as you can. Also, use your free time over the summer to keep in touch with all of your past employers and connections. You never know when you will need to reach out to them.

5. Solidify your routine

Rather than waiting for the first day to get your life on track, begin your good habits early. A lot of times, we use our first day on the job to be the leading factor in changing our lifestyles for the better. If you are looking forward to getting a full eight hours of sleep during the night, then accustom your body to do so prior to your first day of work. If you want to exercise three days a week after work in the fall, begin working out during that time period this summer – the proactive change will pay off now and in the fall.

Twelve weeks can fly by before you know it so begin prioritizing to make your summer a productive one. By getting ahead during these summer months, you will be an A-player coming in to your first day on the job.

How else can you stay on top this summer? What are some skills to perfect before the first day? Let us know your thoughts below.

Staying Sharp This Summer Before Your First Day At Work is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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Which Social Media Channels do you use or are present in for Employer Branding purposes? The top 3 social media channels are: Facebook (32%), LinkedIn (27%) Twitter (18%). UNIVERSUM – BUILDING BRANDS TO CAPTURE TALENT Related Posts:Top 3 Communication Channels Used To Promote Your Employer BrandRecruiting via Facebook is unpopularDo you have to be on [...]

Another CEO out at Yahoo. After just four months on the job, Scott Thompson left his post as CEO this past Sunday following an embellished resume scandal.  One Yahoo employee noted just days before Thompson officially left: “The constant changes in the organization structure and leadership team were a distraction and drain. Just when you would gain some momentum, you would reset. One step backward to only take one step forward.”

Ross Levinsohn has been appointed Interim CEO at Yahoo, as the company’s Board of Directors once again head back to the drawing board to determine who will fill the position permanently. Whoever it is will have a tough road ahead as employees have shown to have little faith in how the past few top executives have led the company.

In Thompson’s few months on the job, he held a 48% approval rating among employees, while his predecessor Carol Bartz holds the highest cumulative CEO rating among Yahoo CEOs of late, with her 54% approval. Interim CEO Timothy Morse received 42% approval, and Yahoo co-founder and former CEO Jerry Yang held 43% approval.¹ For perspective, the average CEO rating on Glassdoor is 62% approval.

Glassdoor, a social jobs and career community, takes a deeper look into Yahoo’s CEO and company ratings over the past four years to see how employee sentiment at this tech giant has changed by quarter.

Yahoo CEOs Have Lost Traction Over Time

As Yahoo CEO tenure increases, it seems that approval among employees falls. Jerry Yang held an 81% approval in Q1 2008, but left the company with a 24% approval, just three quarters later. When Carol Bartz took over, she started with a 91% approval, before plummeting to 33% approval in Q3 2011. And while it was still too soon to tell, Scott Thompson began his tenure with 85% approval before it fell to a 31% approval as of yesterday.

Employee Morale Stays Fairly Steady

But despite all the changes at the top of Yahoo’s corporate ladder, employee morale remains fairly steady holding at a 3.4 (OK) rating over the past 18 quarters.²

In addition, when we look at Yahoo’s overall company rating quarter by quarter, it’s interesting to note it has not increased or decreased significantly, receiving a high of 4.3 (Very Satisfied) during Q1 2008, to a low of 2.7 (OK) during Q2 2009. For the most part, when asked about how satisfied employees are overall with their jobs and the company, most employees give the company a 3.1 (OK) rating. Interestingly, this falls right in line with most companies reviewed; out of the more than 160,000 companies reviewed on Glassdoor, the average overall company rating is 3.1.

Recent Yahoo Employee Commentary

So what have Yahoo employees had to say about the company during the days leading to Scott Thompson’s departure? Below are just some of the best reasons to work at Yahoo as of late (the pros) and some of the biggest downsides (the cons) according to employees:

“[Pros] Generally very interesting projects. [Cons] Upper management chaos, contestant bad press.” – Yahoo Employee (location n/a)

“[Pros] Yahoo encourages and fosters new ideas and technologies and rewards employees for creating new stuff. Many great peers to work with. [Cons] Many not so great people to work with. There is a little too much politics in the company. There is a sort of identity crisis for the company – trying to reclaim former glory.” – Yahoo Employee (Sunnyvale, CA)

“[Pros] Great support from colleagues. Technically sound people; so a lot to learn. [Cons] Too much panic situation in upper management. Insecurity in the mind of employees because of frequent lay-offs. Too many stupid decisions taken in too less time and going nowhere even after doing that.” – Yahoo Software QA Engineer (Sunnyvale, CA)

“[Pros] Great people. Great mentorship. Great growth. [Cons] Lesser pay compared to peers in industry. No definite direction. Weak management.” – Yahoo Software Engineer (Bangalore, India)

“[Pros] Opportunity to develop new products in a large scale. [Cons] Classic ‘ivory tower’ behavior by senior management. Senior management believes they know it all and do not seek opinions and advice of their people on the ground. Lacks discipline across the org.” – Yahoo Senior Product Manager (Sunnyvale, CA)

Do you work at Yahoo? Share a company review and tell us about your experience and what advice you would give to senior management.

¹ CEO cumulative ratings based on approved company reviews collected since early 2008. Thompson received 42 company ratings, Bartz received 278 ratings, Morse received 19 ratings and Yang received 178 ratings.

² Company and workplace factor ratings based on a 5-point scale; 1.0=very dissatisfied, 3.0=OK, 5.0=very satisfied.

Yahoo Interim CEO & Senior Leaders Face Uphill Battle In Gaining Employee Trust is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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Everyone sends a resume, but few people go beyond to prepare an addenda.  So next time you’re applying for a job you really want, you may want to come up with an extra or two to capture the hiring manager’s attention.

An addenda serves as your “distinct marketing materials” and allows you to tell a story about some success or the ways you’ll fit into the culture of your future employer, said Sunitha Narayanan, a career coach with OI Partners and at Xavier University in Cincinnati. She leads workshops in creating them, and helps her clients see how they can use one to propel themselves ahead of the competition.

“How can I create that little window of opportunity to fish where no one else is fishing?” she asks. What one or two skills does the candidate need to demonstrate to get hired?

Sometimes the addenda are sent in early in the search, and other times they are taken along to the interview. Other times they tag along with the ‘thank you’ after the first round of interviews. Sometimes people take it to the interview and present it.

The trick is to find the right button that must be pushed and then use your one-page document to do that. This requires some research and thinking about what the needs are and what the hiring manager really wants to accomplish with the new person, said Narayanan.

Sometimes they are a biography or a give-back statement showing charitable involvement. Or it could show how you radiate the three key attributes sought.

They can help keep your resume more concise and focused, but remember, not everyone will like them or even read them. In a blog post by Katharine Hansen on A Storied Career, the author warns that some recruiters choose not to open them, or will only open a few from top candidates.

Still, they can work wonders. One of Narayanan clients, whose whole department was being eliminated in a merger, decided to try using a marketing addenda to see if he could stay on. She asked him: “What might your unique promise be?” They decided it was client loyalty, since he had been in sales for many years.  So they wrote a little story about that, which showed tangible results. He pulled out an endorsement by another client and created a document. Then he emailed the new manager and offered to help with the transition, to make it smooth and to make sure things worked out. “He was the only one of the previous sales team to get rehired,” Narayanan said.

Other times she’s helped clients create a cultural fit document – which were in essence three PowerPoint slides. That showed how the candidate could be productive and engaged and succeed, by mirroring the language the employer used to describe its culture.

She asks them questions such as “What could resonate? What could be meaningful?” Or else “How can you appeal to that person?” and “How do you show your value and productivity?”

The best ones have visual elements, perhaps a chart or a photo or some color to add pizzazz, she said.  They must be concise – one page only. Storytelling and creativity matter. So does carefully matching the message to the job and the decision-makers. The audience will be small, perhaps just two or three people, but the impact could be big.

Take a look below at just two sample addendas to see how career highlights can be shared in addition to a resume:

Sample #1:

Sample #2:

- Addendas courtesy of Sunitha Narayanan

How To Get A Hiring Manager’s Attention is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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The web is full of great articles about how to ace the interview. Preparation, listening, good eye contact, dressing for success and relaxing are essential elements of a successful interview. The Glassdoor Interviews & Reviews section is full of great advice.

What is never covered are the things that will definitely result in ruining your chance at the job. The obvious ones are being late, snarling at the other employees, and complaining about the coffee. Good manners are essential in the interview process.

However, it’s also worth pointing out what to avoid during an interview. By all means, don’t:

• Answer Your Phone When it Rings
  It’s easy to forget to turn off your cell phone. Nobody will mind if you pull it out of your pocket and turn it off after it rings. The cardinal sin here is to interrupt the interview and say, “I gotta take this one.”
• Answer any Question With a Story About Your Parents
  Recruiters and hiring managers are astonished by the number of parents who get involved in the hiring process. These well intentioned parents are trying to continue to make the world safe for their babies. It’s the kiss of death for prospective employees. Avoid answers like “My dad is my best friend” or “Mom is going to drop me off at work each day” or “Mom will be making my lunch.” Employment and independence are highly inter-related ideas.
• Fart
  This is just the first item on the list of body functions to avoid. Drooling, burping, belching, more than one cough, uncontrolled laughter, crying, laughing to yourself when no one else gets the joke are also off the list. But, if you have to do any of these things, make it good. You’ll want to laugh about it later.
• Say “Remind me What you Guys do”
  Part of being prepared involves remembering which interview you are at and why. The company hopes that you care enough to have prepared by reading about what they do. If you don’t know or can’t remember, this is one place where you should bluff.
• Ask “Do you Mind if I Smoke?”
  It’s worse than this. Any hint that you’re a smoker will be likely to disqualify you quickly. If you’re a smoker, non-smokers (particularly ex-smokers) can smell the smoke on your clothes and breath when you can’t. Get your clothes dry cleaned. Change into them at a non-smoker’s house and don’t smoke in them. Use mints. Try quitting.
• Put Your Feet on The Interviewer’s Desk
  Being comfortable in the interview is an important part of succeeding. The trick is knowing where the line is. If the interviewer is introduced as Mr. So and So, don’t ask “Do you mind if I call you Bob?” The right approach is to appear relaxed while being extremely attentive to details. Slouching, mumbling, slang, cursing and so on are great in your living room. But misplaced in the interview.
• Ask “How Long do I Have to Keep this Job Before I get Promoted?”
  Every company wants ambitious employees. Letting your interviewers know that you are interested in upward mobility signals that you are willing to stay for a while. Interviewers like that. Treating the job under consideration as a stepping stone just limits your chances. Even if you think it’s beneath you, focus on this job right now and minimize your interests in the future.
• Say “I’m Only Here for a Little While. Until my Business Gets Going.”
  Employers like to think that you are looking for a job that will have a life cycle they understand. Suggesting that there is something waiting for you and that this gig is a way-station is rarely appropriate
• Notice How Hot the Receptionist Is
  Whichever gender, the topic of the relative attractiveness of anyone you might encounter is off limits. Unless you are applying for a job as a manager at Hooters or some related nighttime hospitality organization, hotness is an off limits topic. This is surprisingly similar to the bodily functions topic. Try to maintain a separation between nature and work, at least while you’re interviewing.
• Text Your Girlfriend During the Interview
  Even if the kids need to be picked up (maybe even particularly if the kids need to be picked up), avoid using your smart phone at any time during the interview. You’re going to be in some interviews where the hiring manager is busy tweeting about the interview. The difference between you and the hiring manager is that he already has the job. Don’t follow his bad example.
• Say “My Last Boss Fired me Because he was an Idiot.”
  Everyone (really, everyone) has a story to tell about a difficult job and a difficult boss. Anyone over thirty five has been involved in downsizing. We all put our pants on one leg at a time. Still, just like you wouldn’t want to review your antidepressant intake during the interview, you want to put a good face on previous employment. Never trash anyone in the interview. They’ll think you do that all the time.
• Forget to Brush Your Teeth
  That green thing between your teeth will cost you the job every time. So will bad breath which can be caused by gum disease. Many people with gum disease don’t know that their breath is bad. Before you go on interviews, ask someone you trust how you look and how your breath smells.

Sadly, avoiding these pitfalls won’t guarantee you’ll get the job. But, thinking about them will give you a sense of what not to do (and therefore, what you should do). Interviews are matters of chemistry. If the person interviewing you does any of these things, reconsider whether or not you want to work there.

12 Ways To Blow Your Job Interview is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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Mother’s Day is a time to appreciate moms for the many jobs they do, from taking the kids to school to leading a board room meeting. In fact, approximately 71% of women in today’s workforce are working moms raising kids under 18 years of age, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Glassdoor, a social jobs and career community, turned to recent company reviews to uncover what moms and parents appreciate most when it comes to jobs and work.

WFH [work from home] opportunities, high-quality on-site child care, and flexible start times make it a good choice for people with families.” – AOL Product Manager (Dulles, VA)

“Great for working mothers!” . . .“The company provides great traditional benefits in additional to a full maternity/paternity/adoption leave as well as enhanced plans to phase back to work, mother’s room, and back-up child care.” – Deutsche Bank employee (location n/a)

“Overall great company to work for – allows for flexibility for work/life and supports working moms. Good benefits and great amount of time off for sick days, vacation time and maternity leave.” – JPMorgan Chase employee (location n/a)

“Great benefits…off for maternity leave and short term disability paid 100% of my salary. I thought this was the norm but talking to friends at other companies and in other industries this was a true blessing.” – Booz Allen Hamilton Consultant (Atlanta, GA)

“Work/life balance was embraced. On-site childcare center . . .  Awesome benefits.” – CA Technologies employee (location n/a)

“The main advantage of working at BOA is the work-life balance.  . . . The benefits are awesome: great health insurance, 401k and pension, childcare reimbursement ($135/mo for informal care or $250/mo for formal daycare) . . . A few progressive benefits: domestic partners covered, infertility covered, gender reassignment surgery covered.” – Bank of America Teller (Loganville, GA)

“Benefit packages cannot be topped. Lots of vacation time. I also got a 6 month maternity. They were very supportive of my career.” – Deloitte Senior Manager (New York, NY)

“You receive benefits even if you are only working twenty hours a week, such as help with child care and health insurance . . . My son got sick just a few weeks after I had started and had to be in the hospital for about a week and they were very understanding.” – Bank of America Teller (Independence, MO)

“The company headquarters are amazing – and pretty much include everything you need including a doctor’s office, child care, a gym, grocery store, salon, restaurant, coffee shop and much more.” – General Mills employee (Minneapolis, MN)

“Balance of work and home is excellent.  Work at home options, telecommuting, flex hours and good time off options . . . They offer lots of odd benefits like on-site child care facility, health club, discounts on phones, and sponsored events” – Allstate Systems Analyst – Professional (Northbrook, IL)

What benefits and perks do working moms enjoy at your company? Share a company review and let us know!

Working Moms Dish About Best Company Perks is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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There’s an expiration date for every term, big idea or business fad. I wonder if we’ve hit that mark for the term ‘personal brand.’ The concept is under sustained attack in the career branding and HR blogospheres, with good reason: although it’s been touted as a useful tool to help people think about themselves in a more abstract way, with a vocabulary aligned with business values, it’s also divorced people from a sense of personal worth. When you’re a brand, you’re a brand all the way, as it were.

For some, thinking of themselves not as responsible individuals, but as a personal brand has reduced their connection with their self worth. That’s why my focus, in the past two years of the personal brand phase, has been more tuned to the importance of authenticity, culture and workplace community.

Authenticity is both a personal and brand attribute, of course, but it interests me primarily for its relevance to individuals and how they succeed in career and in the workplace. If you are not fully yourself – if, for example, you create a personal brand that’s a construct of the attributes you think people want to see, then you aren’t behaving as an authentic, responsible individual. Integrity, responsibility and personal worth fly out the window.

Culture is on another level. I’m not talking culture as anthropology here; I’m talking workplace culture. Authentic people create powerful, positive workplace cultures. Vibrant cultures attract authentic, powerful people. It’s a virtuous cycle (no, those did not go away with the dot com bust.) Where there’s a positive workplace culture, people who value integrity and responsibility will line up at the door.

Community is the glue that lets authentic people participate fully in workplace cultures. Communities require collaboration, participation and investment. People who put effort into remaining true to themselves and their core values, rather than relying on just one abstraction such as a personal brand, understand the value of community and workplace.

Here are five things to do to free yourself from the limited thinking behind the notion of personal brands:

1. Be true to yourself. You are more than a brand. You are a person. Know what’s important to you, know your values, and be true to others who share or respect your values.
2. Take care of yourself. This is more than maintenance such as good food, exercise and everything in moderation. It’s taking care of your soul, essence, self, whatever you think is your core. Maybe you read, or walk the beach, volunteer, spend time with friends, talk to your partner. Whatever feeds your soul and mind, do it. Make the time to take care of yourself, because no one else has that responsibility.
3. Know and be true to your values. This isn’t all that easy. Most of us, if quizzed on what our values are, might mumble something about do no harm, be your best self or a similar platitude. Values can’t be reduced to thera-speak. They form the core of your belief system. Take the time to think deeply about what your values are and how you can live in a way that demonstrates and honors those values.
4. Know your authentic personality. You may be optimistic, cynical, pessimistic, carefree, even manipulative or controlling. I’m not making any judgments here, just counseling you to understand your personality – it’s so much more than a personal brand – and understand how it affects those around you.
5. Know your career goals. Know what you want. If you reduce yourself to a personal brand, what you want will be less important than maintaining the façade of brand. Don’t fall into the terminology trap.

Finally, what does all this have to do with finding the right job, the right employer, at the right time? If you spend your time developing and maintaining a personal brand, you’ll be limiting yourself and become less attractive as a job candidate. Suddenly everything will be about your brand, not about how you can contribute your authenticity, character and values to a company’s culture and community. Be real. Be a person. Go for it.

5 Steps To Free Your Personal Brand is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

Related posts:

1. The Value Of Building Your Personal Brand
2. Your Personal Brand Is Not About You
3. Land A Job By Managing Your Personal Brand Online