Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization Show

Jeff Gothelf, author of "Sense and Respond," shared his favorite stat - Amazon releases new software updates every 11.6 seconds - during this episode of Geeks Geezers and Googlization. Amazon and companies like Netflix set the new consumer standard for service. Human Resources (HR), however, responds with an industrial age approach, built for a completely different time and pace of operations. To win the race for talent, HR must embrace change and be agile to survive a world of unknown unknowns.

Are you a "technology refugee? HR evangelist Enrique Rubio stopped by this week's Geeks Geezers Googlization show to chat about his article "Do humans have room in the future of work?" We wasted no time diving into a conversation about the future of HR, how we must bring HR up to speed, and how technology is racing forward faster than we can keep up. Enrique shared his vision for Hacking HR: to build a global community where HR, business, and technology leaders help make HR better then ever. Connect with Enrique LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubioenrique/ Twitter @erubio_p Hacking HR https://hackinghr.io/

People analytics is consistently one of the top 2 trends in HR today (the other being candidate experience), but despite the fact that more than 70% of CEOs identify human capital as a key source of competitive advantage (IBM), only 5% invest in big data (TATA). And while 70% of companies intend to increase automation, only one-third use People Analytics to determine the impact on performance outcomes! That's why we're grateful that Reed Shaffner, Cornerstone OnDemand's VP of Product Strategy, agreed to stop by the Geeks Geezers and Googlization Show to talk about the Future of People Analytics. In another fast paced show, Reed shared best practices for getting started, even if you're a small business, and how many organizations are using analytics to solve business problems associated with turnover, retention, pay equity, and skill gaps. People Analytics - A new venture for most HR departments, it refers to the information that companies use to make decisions regarding their employees and workforce. When the right questions and strategies are in place, the information collected through people analytics can allow companies to prepare for the future, move the right employees to the right positions, and make overall better decisions for the company as a whole. On the hiring end, predictive analytics through people analytics helps recruiters see if applicants could be a good fit for the company. Internally, these analytics are a great way to show which pay structures are working for employee performance and if pay is equal and fair across the board. Reed gave us a great example on the show of analytics at work when it comes to salaries and pay structures. When Google came out with their pay equality announcement, they were able to do so because of the analytics used to detect areas where they were underpaying women or minorities. A similar case was Amazon, who realized that the algorithm in their system was causing inequality within pay scales. People analytics is not only showing where areas of improvement are within these giant tech companies, it's also giving them a chance to accept responsibility and change things within their company for the better. So, when it comes to implementing people analytics in a way that works just as well as the above example, where should you start? Reed keeps it simple and to the point with this question, "Are you collecting the right data in the first place?" The answer is quite basic and gets to the root of why you would want to use analytics in the first place. "Pick one or two focused questions that you, as a company, really want answered." Figuring out what these two questions are will obviously differ for every organization depending on the size and niche of the company. However, if you want to gather quality data that is actually useful, you have to start by answering this question first. Once you start asking the right questions, other benefits of people analytics start coming through the pipeline- analytics that answer questions such as, "How do I invest in the right people, get them to stay with the company, and also predict roles that might open up in the future?" So, once you have the right questions in place, and the right data coming through, how should you go about analyzing it in a way that is useful for the company? There are a few things that need to be in place for "successful analytics" to happen. Make sure the right people have access to the data: Does everyone need access? No, but you bet that the HR, Recruitment, and Front End Management departments certainly should! Analytics is a partnership between groups such as these, and keeping communication between these departments open is a huge must when it comes to aggregating the right data. For some companies, hiring a data scientist can be a great investment. Reed warns companies to do their research and not hire just anyone who says they have a magical fix for deciphering data. You want someone tested, skilled, and able to go through the company's data to decipher the right information. At the end of the day, people data is business data. If you want to set your business up for success, whether you're a titan of industry or a small business with less than 200 employees, people analytics is certainly key when it comes to the future of work.

First of all, before I jump into this week's Geeks Geezers and Googlization podcast about the evolution of L&D (learning and development), who would ever think that content creation would be associated with Human Resources? For the record ...when I'm talking about content, I'm not talking traditional HR paperwork! But just as a recruiter is now a marketer, human resources and microleanring go together like two peas in a pod. As the race for talent heats up, winning companies are focused on training employees. The emergence of microlearning is on. AI and video are fueling a revolution. But can it solve the shortage of skilled workers? Grab a drink, sit back, and get ready to learn about the future of learning at work. There is mounting pressure to train both new hires and current employees faster. It's created a shift in the way companies source, build, curate and deliver the right content at the right time. With technologies like AI and video fueling a revolution, microlearning has evolved from a buzzword to workforce development solution. And who better to help us understand what's happening in learning and development than Dr. Summer Salomonsen, head of Content Studios at Cornerstone OnDemand? What is microlearning? It's no longer the 8 hour classroom workshops of yesteryear nor the Powerpoint presentations of a decade ago. Organizations are longer confident that the information presented by trainers as they click through bullet points slide-by-slide is sinking in and making a difference. Instead microlearning is an approach to learning development that experts like Dr. Summer Salomonsen and the team at Cornerstone do incredibly well. While microlearning is not an entirely new idea in and of itself, it is, by definition, a way to describe how the average human brain learns. It's this learning process that Dr. Salomonsen uses to stir up a new generation of workplace engagement in learning. As much as microlearning has advanced the cause, it's also true that L&D in general is being told to step up their game. With the current workforce inundated by Millenials and Gen Z, the learning audience of today can "sniff out sub-par content in 7 seconds flat." For strategic learning to take place and be effective, the content has to be top of the line, to the point, and seamless. As much as microlearning best practices have advanced, Dr. Salomonsen points out that learning is not a construct but a concept. We are always learning, day in and day out, task by task, micro-bit in time by micro-bit in time. Those all day workshops that we used to send employees off to are increasingly ineffective and mind-numbing. On Cornerstone's end, the embodiment of microlearning comes in the form of mixed media, auditory snippets, and learner videos (just to name a few - think TED and TEDx Talks!). They focus what problems need to be solved right now within their learning programs so that employees have a sense of relief and a gratefulness for the information that is being delivered to them. Going a little deeper in our discussion with Dr. Summer and our focus on the future of work, it was inevitable that the subject of AR and VR would come up. While it's currently getting a bit of use within response training, manufacturing as well as hospital type simulations, is it something we should expect to see on the horizon for HR? As we discuss in the show, it's not quite there yet. One reason is the investment required for the technology and the cost of developing content for virtual reality. "It's important to remember that it's just tech but tech like this continues to push our industry forward," said Salomonsen. Ways to contact Dr. Summer Salomonsen? LinkedIn Cornerstone OnDemand

Workplace Violence: Is it something that social media and news outlets have normalized within our culture? Current statistics state that over the course of a year, an average of 15 people will lose their lives because of workplace violence, and a staggering 38,500 employees will be attacked from perpetrators while on the job. Yet, while this problem continues to ravage the workforce, 70% of U.S. businesses have no plan in place to protect their employees or customers. Workplace violence experts Jeffrey M Miller and Robert Sollars stopped by the Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization show this week to discuss why workplace violence is on the rise and what companies must do to anticipate, prevent, and neutralize its risk to ensure everyone's safety and well-being. One of my biggest questions for the duo is whether they believe that workplace violence is really on the rise these days or if we are just made more aware because of the media blaring continuous feeds of violent actions through youtube, television, and various internet platforms. As a culture with constant access to every breaking story, no matter how recent or simply recycled it is, have we become so desensitized that we think workplace violence is an issue undeserving of awareness in our lives? As someone who's quite an authority on the subject, Jeffrey gives us the answers to these questions. CEO of WCI Consulting, Jeffrey focuses on creating threat management systems within businesses to help employees survive and suffer reduced injury in the event of a workplace attack. Helping businesses to define and put into practice specific emergency procedures as well as teaching them to notice and react properly to early warning signs, is what he does best. Additionally, Robert's 36 years in the security field combined with his in-depth knowledge of the vast amount of early warning indicators in a disgruntled or disrupted individual makes him an equal authority on the posed question. The consensus between both men is that protecting the workplace from violence starts with assessing your company's individual needs and determining the issues most likely to arise. While acts of workplace violence may seem random, often they are not, and there are hundreds of signs and indicators that should set off warning signals and aid in the prevention of these types of attacks. Prevention doesn't simply start with co-workers reporting possible causes for concern, such as angry or resentful comments, violent obsessions, or sudden and unusual behaviors. As far as Robert is concerned, prevention starts right at the beginning of an employee's relationship with the company - the hiring process. Businesses need to know who they are hiring, no matter what level or type of business they are. On the opposite end of things, businesses can't simply put zero tolerance and no weapons policies in place and expect that to be enough. If a perpetrator of workplace violence feels wronged in some way and is seeking to take action, the only thing a "no weapons on premises" sign is going to do is tell them that nobody on the inside is armed and able to properly defend themselves against an assault. It would seem that having a threat assessment plan or team in place to discuss and monitor employees exhibiting one or many of what Robert calls the "24 Warning Sign" behaviors, while also tracking to see if there is an aggressive progression of the behavior and then, if needed, decide upon a course of corrective action before the employee reaches a point of no return would be ideal as a more effective preventative solution than a write-up or paragraph in the employee handbook. Contact Today's Guests: Robert Sollars (480) 251-5197 https://robertdsollars.com/ Jeffrey Miller http://attackproofmycompany.com/ jmmiller@warrior-concepts-online.com

David Searns, Haley Marketing CEO, stopped by Geeks Geezers and Googlization this week to discuss the staffing industry's post-Indeedageddon era. (For those of you who don't know, effective 1/7/19 Indeed no longer allows staffing firms and recruiters to post jobs for free.) Indeed is just the tip of a growing challenge staffing and businesses face when it comes to attracting job seekers and qualified workers. Misunderstanding how Google for Jobs works, delivering poor candidate experience, the lack of good recruitment marketing metrics, and low unemployment all contribute to forcing costs up & staffing ROI down. But the biggest culprit for most companies is a leaky company career site. Haley Marketing works with recruitment companies around the world, training them to recruit and engage talent by implementing effective marketing strategies. With "Indeedagedon" and the current low unemployment rate causing companies distress when it comes to receiving applicants for their positions, recruitment departments are looking for other strategies that will drive candidate traffic to their job posts. So now that Indeed has turned the tables when it comes to job posting, how can Google for jobs be utilized in its place? David says the most important thing when it comes to making use of Google's job board is to make sure that your job is not only posted on your website, but that it's also optimized for readability so that it can be indexed by Google Careers. Additionally, make sure that any career sites you're using are also being indexed by Google. Aside from optimizing your job post for Google's job boards, when it comes to recruitment marketing, David starts each case with what he calls "the four pillars" of recruitment marketing. Your Career Site: What are you doing to ensure that every job-seeker looking at your page applies? Job Advertising: What strategies do you have in place for advertising? Social Recruiting: Do you have a social platform plan in place that's engaging passive job seekers and interesting them in your company? Your Employment Brand: What does Glassdoor, Indeed reviews, or Google say about you? How do you believe you'll attract candidates to your company if your employment brand is unknown or poorly represented? In addition to these pillars, David points out that companies currently having the hardest time when it comes to finding and keeping great candidates are the ones who continue to ignore their candidates' recruitment experience, the application process, mobile application availability, and pay disparity within their workforce. If you want your company to acquire top talent, it's not only important to address the above issues, it's absolutely vital. If your job posting isn't available on mobile, or if your application questions are archaic and unnecessarily lengthy, you're not going to engage or keep talent. Want to find out more about Haley Marketing? Contact them at – haleymarketing.com Or call: 888.696.2900

According to our guest Venkat Janaparaddy, CEO of Jobiak, over 80% of jobs are not getting indexed by Google. That's a huge problem because 73% of job seekers start their job search on Google! That's why Venkat came up with an AI-machine learning solution that helps companies get their jobs indexed by Google without adding complicated code (job schema) and then getting those job listings ranked higher. How does Google for Jobs work? How can you get Google for Jobs to work for you? Listen!

Job Descriptions are the most unlikely topic for a fun but informative podcast. And yet, our guest today, Karen Young, CEO of HR Resolutions, managed to turn the dull, dreaded job description into a lively conversation. Listen to Karen share why the job description is the hub of talent management, not a legal document only taken out of the drawer only when it's time to post jobs and terminate employees. Karen is also the author of Stop Knocking on my Door: Drama Free HR to Help Grow Your Business Karen's book is also known as "the primer for the accidental HR manager." In case it's not clear, Accidental HR Managers are the people that have either fallen into their HR position because of the way they moved up in a company or because of their experience in a similar position- the managers who have "fallen" into the position and didn't necessarily start out with the intent to ever work in HR. Without prior recruitment training or experience, these are the Human Resource Managers that are Googling answers to their HR questions and crossing their fingers. Helping these "accidental managers" to succeed, is Karen. The first item on her list of advice? The proper writing of the dreaded job description, aka the "hub of the wheel" when it comes to recruitment. On the show, we go in depth about the information a job description should include, as well as what's important and what isn't when it comes to the "essential skills" that should be listed. Additionally, we discuss how a job description can be the key to a drama free HR department. You might be asking how a drama free HR department could EVER be a possibility. Turns out, a drama free workplace starts with a clear job description. When written well, job descriptions can be used for discipline, medical issues, and in workman's compensation cases. Karen states that "If we have crystal clear expectations from the start between the employee and employer, when things go awry we have an easy way to approach the employee." The conversation with this employee might go as easily as asking the question, "do you remember when we discussed your responsibilities as written in the job description? Let's revisit that conversation and get back on track with our mutual expectations of each other." Having a clear set of written expectations laid out before the candidate is even hired gives one the ability to be able to avoid large amounts of drama as well as have an easy segue into a conversation that involves correcting behaviors. Another important thing to remember when it comes to writing a job description is to involve current employees in the writing. Why? Because no one knows the ins and outs of the position like the employees who work it! It's an easy way to increase your employee's sense of well-being by letting them feel listened to and needed. Want to contact Karen Young? Email her at: karen@hrresolutions.com Or visit: www.hrresolutions.com This show is broadcast live on Wednesday's at 1PM ET on W4CY Radio – (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/). You can reach Karen at karen at HRResolutions.com or visit HR Resolutions. You can purchase "Stop Knocking on My Door: Drama Free HR" on Amazon.

Is working with a 3rd party recruiter worth it? If yes, when is the right time to hire a recruiter and what are reasonable expectations? As more and more companies turn to search firms, or "headhunters," executive recruiters during this historic period of low employment, we took the opportunity to ask those questions and many more to our show guest Hugh Gallagher from The Gallagher Group. We go behind the scenes with Hugh, exploring what employers should expect and how they can be better prepared. The Geeks Geezers and Googlization Show is broadcast live on Wednesday's at 1PM ET on W4CY Radio – (www.w4cy.com). You can view all episodes on Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization or on your favorite podcast platform.

Job hunting used to be so easy. Send a resume. Fill out an application. Schedule an interview. Get hired. Today, it's become a lot more complicated. Both job seekers and employers seem to be like 2 ships passing in the night. That's why we're excited to welcome Courtney Kirschbaum CEO of Job Hunt School, to the Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization Show. Courtney takes us behind the scenes of her job hunting "school" and shares tips and insights about building a compelling resume to get you in the door for your next job. Job School was created for those that have been out of the job hunting game and need advice on how to attract recruiters to themselves. A completely online course, Job Hunt includes live coaching, Q&A sessions, and mentoring calls all aimed at the goal of helping job seekers to develop their "brand". Courtney goes on to explain that with recruiters now using Linkedin and similar online platforms in their sourcing of candidates, it's vital that your profile stands out and grabs their attention. Job hunting has gone from an audition to a sales pitch, and you have to market what you have to offer or you're going to lose out to someone else that has the ability to market themselves. Credentials and resumes matter, but they're yesterday's news. Instead, you want to grab the attention of the employer, show off what you have to offer, and get them excited about giving you a future in their company. Courtney's statement that "job seeking is just another name for sales and marketing" really defines the entire backbone of the lessons that she teaches. The things you write, how you write, what you post, and how you present yourself is your brand and it's what will lead employers to taking an interest in you. If you're a job-seeker and not sure where to start, Courtney leaves us with this advice: "The job-seeker who comes in with an upbeat, optimistic, and willing to do what it takes type attitude; these are the types of people who get the great job offer with a great salary." Closing thoughts- on your online profile, avoid negativity and showcase your attitude as bright, enthusiastic, and optimistic. Position yourself as someone who recruiters would want to be a part of their team!