First Comment

Every new technology does some great things and it also does some not-so-great things. Social media is no different. On one had it gives anyone with an internet connection the ability to become a "blogger" and call themselves an expert on a so-called topic. People rely on the internet now to get their information but doing this for something like hiring can be as perilous as using Wikipedia to try to write a Senior Thesis. There is some great information and resources out there, but there also are a lot of people with an agenda or without the experience who will try to influence you poorly in your decision-making process.

Fortunately there are some great resources as well. Social Media has taken real experts from behind the curtain and allowed the masses the opportunity to get the information from them. Instead of having to go to a lecture to hear an idea from an esteemed colleague, you can follow them on Twitter or visit their blog every day. Instead of going through a Rolodex trying to find the person you need, you can just go on LinkedIn and see who you know in that area. And instead of wondering if what you are doing is right or wrong, you can find definitive answers on the internet.

Entrepreneur Magazine lists five to follow on Twitter for Hiring. Make sure to add us to that list as well @AstronWorldofHR. Also make sure to follow Jennifer Loftus @AstronSolutions.

We have a new website design here. For some reason our old one just went kaput when Blogger moved over to a new design system. Sorry about any problems you may have been having, but hopefully they're all fixed now. It should be clean and easy to navigate and, hopefully, easy to read as well. Let Jennifer or myself know if you're still having any issues.

Speaking of websites, they can be a great way, for a candidate of getting your name out there on the internet. Showing that you have designed a website (and maybe putting some of your interests on there) can be a living resume out there on the internet. When I Googled "Jennifer Loftus", one of the hits that came back was her website she made in 2006. One of my friends was able to build a website which is a very cool online portfolio of her work. When done right, a website can be a great tool for a job seeker and a great way to have a Google search come back with more than a Facebook or LinkedIn profile.

But done poorly, a website can be a bad thing for a candidate to have out there. Like Facebook, Twitter or MySpace profiles should not have compromising pictures or text, so shouldn't a personal website. I recently heard from a friend that they were in the middle of the interview process with a candidate when they decided to Google their name. The result returned a website. One section on the website was pictures full of the candidate partying. Another had "life goals", which, while sounding promising, had such lofty goals as "partying with P. Diddy" and "sleeping with a celebrity". Not exactly the type of information that gets you hired.

It can be a good idea to make a personal website, but as everything you put out there on the World Wide Web, make sure it's appropriate and professional. You never know who will see it someday.

We start off here on our Thursday with an article from Yahoo! and Forbes on Office Etiquette Essentials (H/T Wendy). This is not good news:

Christine Pearson, professor of management at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Ariz. and coauthor of The Cost of Bad Behavior, says 96% of Americans report experiencing rudeness at work, and 48% say they are treated uncivilly at least once a week.

This kind of manners meltdown can have a direct effect on the bottom line. According to surveys conducted by Pearson and her colleagues, 48% of poorly treated employees have intentionally decreased their productivity and 12% say the boorish behavior compelled them to quit. Workplace rudeness costs employers an average of $50,000 per worker. "There are very high costs associated with even seemingly inconsequential inconsiderate words and actions," adds Pearson.

Ouch

Next comes from itWorldCanada and says that using social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook as talent sourcing tools may open up a company to potential legal repercussions.

Lastly, from Business Insurance, a court ruling from Florida that says that illegal immigrants are due workers comp benefits (H/T Jennifer)

Happy New Year to you from everyone here at Astron Solutions. Let's hope 2010 is a great one. 2009 has seem some rough times in the economy and especially with Human Resources, but hopefully better things are on the horizon for the new year. A few articles to send out the year:

-Since one of our themes this past year has been layoffs, let's take a look at the way the Washington Times is saying goodbye to people they're letting go from the Washington City Paper:

...the individuals hustled with great dread to a couple of tables where lots of letters were waiting. People walked away carrying word of their fate. Those that are getting laid off are being asked to finish up their shift tomorrow and then depart. The letters come with a list of open positions at the paper, just in case the departed want to try their luck with a different department.

Ouch. Does not sound like a good way to do this. Especially over a holiday weekend. The blog article quips "Is the paper going to raise those individuals on their cell phones and say, Hey, come back from Vail and pick up your letter to find out whether you've been sacked or saved?". Not the best idea by management. Many companies need to meet personnel numbers by year end but this isn't the best way to do it.

-Another big theme in 2009 was the use of social networking for job searches--especially the ever-growing Twitter. Well Career Solvers has some great advice as we close out 2009 about how you can use Twitter in your job search as they interview someone who has written a book about it.

-Lastly, looking ahead to 2010, Yahoo! HotJobs has a list of the most secure jobs in 2010.

Wishing a Happy and Healthy New Year to you and your loved ones from all of us here at Astron Solutions!

-First up on our Friday is Wallet Pop which has an article about Google fighting brain drain with an algorithm

-Social Media Today continues by talking about Twitter and the cost to a company by judging the opportunity cost of not allowing employees to use it during work hours

-Lastly, HR Resource talks about the value of employee engagement surveys as part of a change management strategy

Have a great weekend!

We now have a blog account on Twitter! Follow us @astronworldofhr (and follow Jennifer @astronsolutions)

Also, if you're more into Facebook, you can follow us there via Networked Blogs



We're all over the social networking!

Just in case you didn't know (and if you didn't, it's probably because you missed this post) Astron Solutions has a Twitter account so you can follow us:

http://twitter.com/AstronSolutions

We're all up in your social networking!

Yesterday I Twittered for the first time. Actually, five times.

No, it’s not as risqué as it sounds.

For those unfamiliar with the process, Twitter.com is a site that takes blogging a step further. You post instant microburst updates on your latest happenings and thoughts on your own Twitter site.

Since it’s relatively new, people primarily use Twitter for social networking purposes. However, the site holds many possibilities for management in general and HR in particular. Looking to keep a project team up to date on the latest happenings? Want to inform your employees of exciting new things coming? Twitter can help you achieve them, in an easy to use manner. The Gen Y employees in your organization most likely either use Twitter already, or follow someone on the site. Why not communicate with these employees using a method they’re comfortable with?

(Warning – shameless promotion ahead) Astron needs followers on Twitter! If you like our blog, you will enjoy this peek into our daily activities at Astron HQ. Visit our site at https://twitter.com/astronsolutions, sign up, and become one of our followers! We’d love to have you as part of our Twitter family.