Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization Show

Join me on BeTheTalk, a 7 day a week podcast, where Nathan Eckel chats with me about my journey to and from my TEDx talk, living in a VUCA world. Ira S Wolfe is a "Millennial trapped in a Baby Boomer body." He's known for his fierce passion for embracing exponential change and his commitment to understanding its impact on people, jobs, and work. Ira is an accomplished speaker/author and President of Success Performance Solutions. His latest book is Recruiting in the Age of Googlization: When the Shift Hits Your Plan. Connect with Ira HERE LISTEN to Ira's TEDx talk BeTheTalk is a 7 day a week podcast where Nathan Eckel chats with talkers from TEDx & other branded events. Tips tools and techniques that can help you give the talk to change the world at BeTheTalk.com! If you've given a TED or TEDx Talk and want to be interviewed by Nathan, click here.

Is HR on the fast track to irrelevance or what will it take for HR to finally get a "seat at the table?" Those are just a few of the critical questions discussed in this episode of Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization. My guest is Ed Krow, partner and co-founder of TurboExecs and 25 year "veteran" of HR. This episode was prompted by two separate but almost simultaneous experiences shared by me (Ira S Wolfe) and Ed. When presenting my keynote at a regional SHRM meeting, I noticed something odd. I was the only male in the room of over 3 dozen participating members. Not that all the women weren't professional and competent but I couldn't help to wonder why no men felt the need to attend a presentation about talent acquisition, one of the biggest challenges organizations face. Was it me? Is recruitment considered a "woman's job?" Was there any significance behind this or were all the men just too busy too attend? I don't know the answer but the experience was a bit troubling. My concern was soon deepened when one of the members introduced herself to the group. She stood up and said "how good it was to be back in 'HR'? The quotes around HR are intentional because as she spoke the words HR, she raised both hands and motioned air quotes. Why did she feel the need to air quote HR? Is it a secret society? A department or profession that is not officially recognized as legit? Again I don't have the answers but can tell you that I was beginning to feel that HR might be on the fast track to irrelevance. After leaving the meeting, I checked my email. My friend and colleague Ed shared a similar experience. While presenting at a SHRM conference, a participant stood up and told the group why she chose a career in HR: "to show other that all HR weren't mean." What??? Was she the white knight riding in to save all the workers from "mean HR?" Even HR professionals seem to demean the Human Resources profession, even if unintentional. Those incidents led me to ask Ed to join me on this episode to explore the future of HR. During our conversation, we discuss these topics and more during podcast: What keeps us (and CEOs) awake at night about HR? What skills does HR need to have to become strategic and relevant? Why management must raise the expectations of HR and hold them accountable. Will the COO and CTO take over workforce management if HR doesn't step up?

True or False? There is a brewing technological storm threatening to eliminate hundreds of jobs and leave millions of workers without a paycheck. Listen to this podcast when futurists John McElligott and Ira S Wolfe discuss why robots, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), and other advanced technologies probably won't destroy occupations and jobs as quickly as many experts forecast. But exponential technologies will certainly disrupt and change how work gets done. You might find this optimistic forecast odd coming from the guy whose company just created Robo-Rista to serve up coffees and lattes and Vincent van Gogh-Bot to draw sketches of customers. But York Exponential CEO John McElligott believes the immediate future features a collaborative interface between technology and human workers. "We don't automate," he insists. "We augment. We want to make sure that our robots are not taking people's jobs; they're saving jobs." While many companies are focused on recruiting and hiring Millennials and Generation Z to fill traditional jobs, Generation R(obots) will likely be the real story. "We're creating the 1st generation of humans and robots working together," McElligott shared during my podcast. But unlike the computer revolution that helped make humans more productive, humans will now be expected to return the favor and help advance the productivity of technology. That's good news for workers as the jobs they do won't be 100% automated but augmented. But for those expecting to sit back and pick up a paycheck while Mr. Robot does all the work, you're kidding yourself. Augmentation means new and better skills will be required. McElligott has got that covered too by launching what he calls "the 1st generation of responsible disruptors." As companies begin to integrate co-bots full time or hire robots as a service, a whole new workforce of robot mechanics will be needed. "Right now installation is handled by engineers," he says. But shortages in the current workforce and for the foreseeable future are staggering. These shortages imperil the competitiveness of individual companies and our nation. "We need a workforce of regular, every day middle class workers do the the work of engineers" and that's why he created Fortress Academy to educate a legion of robot mechanics. "We believe it's time everyone comes along for the ride." In this fast-pace, conversation filled 25 minutes, we also talked about how education has not embraced technology and how history may be primed to repeat itself. Click below to learn more about: York Exponential Fortress Academy When the SHIFT Hits Your Plan!

This podcast is the second in a 2-part series. You can listen to the 1st podcast here. For decades, posting a job opening was a relatively simple task. All a recruiter had to do was share the job description across the appropriate channels and candidates came pouring in. Today, the competition for talent is fierce and writing content to advertise a job opening requires a lot more finesse. An effective job post attracts a high volume of high caliber candidates that actually click to apply to the position. Achieving this goal requires a content formula that creates love at first sight, and making the right first impression begins with proper job title keywords. (Learn how to craft the right job title in the first part of this two-post series.) But a job posting is more than just a click-worthy headline. Here's how to build an entire post with SEO (search engine optimization) and SEM (search engine marketing) in mind. Listen to this article here written and read by author Ira S Wolfe and posted on ReWork.

Business Builders Show host Marty Wolff interviews Ira S. Wolfe, author of this great new book Recruiting in the Age of Googlization: When The Shift Hits Your Plan. The Business Builders Show with Marty Wolff is proud to bring you this interview on www.c-suiteradio.com Ira was one of the FIRST and most outspoken leaders to talk about job and skill changes nearly twenty years ago. And he remains an expert in this field as you will hear in the interview and see in his book. To schedule more interviews like this with Ira, call 800-803-4303 or visit www.irawolfe.com.

Google receives 300 million job-related search requests each month, which makes up nearly 30 percent of all Google searches. Unfortunately, for many organizations, there's often a significant disconnect between how job seekers search for opportunities and how recruiters post jobs. Consequently, it's all too easy for a job posting to evaporate into cyberspace and become an invisible blip in a sea of information, even with seven out of every 10 (or more) job searches starting online. Using SEM and SEO strategies can boost recruiters' chances of getting a job opening noticed. Here are a few simple recruiting hacks that can help your next job posting find its way to the right candidates. Listen to this article written and read by author Ira S Wolfe and posted on ReWork. Resources: Google Keyword Planner (FREE) Paid Keyword Tools: Moz, SEMRush, Wordstream

"Shift or die. It's that simple." These are the opening words of the new best seller Recruiting in the Age of Googlization. Author Ira S Wolfe explains how most people don't think big enough and how many executives, business owners, and individuals tune out what's happening and underestimate the disruption that exponential change causes. He even cites how legendary American business magnate and investor Warren Buffet admitted he was caught flat-footed by the transformative powers of Amazon. While this episode is focused on why companies and individuals must SHIFT, the book lays out the beginning of a recruiting blueprint for recruiting in the age of Googlization. The book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstore. You can also call 800-803-4303 to order a signed copy. A download of a free chapter is available here. (It's a different chapter! To schedule Ira S Wolfe for an interview or speaking event, click here.

"Is this year going to be more challenged than last year" when it comes to talent acquisition. "Yes" is the nearly unanimous answer! Consequently, recruiters and HR are scrambling to chase top talent. Unfortunately traditional recruitment practices that just aren't working anymore. One underutilized but massively successful solution is video which might explain its explosion of popularity in every marketing strategy except … you guessed it: HR! My guest for this episode is Abby Cheesman, co-founder of Skill Scout. In this podcast we explore: Why companies should be using video for talent acquisition How companies should be using video for talent acquisition What are some of the pitfalls to avoid when using video for talent acquisition Let's start with what was one of my favorite quotes from Abby:" Job descriptions are lame. They are the last thing candidates want to read but they're often the first touch point. The job description is a legal document; a list of requirements that doesn't tell anything about the look-and-feel of the job or company culture." Using video to post a job tells a story. It helps differentiate your company from your competitors. "It serves as a purposeful piece of the recruiting puzzle," Abby told me. She offered an amazing statistic that tells it all: "When you use a text- based job description, people recall 16% of what they read …and that's being generous. With video people recall 65% of what they see and hear on a video. On top of that, visibility skyrockets with video. Search engine marketing explodes because video is 50X more likely to be shared than text. Everyone wants to be #1 on Google but many recruiters don't realize that the 2nd largest search engine in the world is YouTube! And since YouTube is owned by Google, video helps Google rankings too. And here's one more twist. Skill Scout's research has shown that candidates are not just going direct to job boards or company career sites to search for jobs. They are first going to YouTube to find jobs and learn about your company before searching on job boards like Indeed and Careerbuilder. Video opens up a whole new channel and source for talent acquisition. What I shared so far is just the tip of the iceberg. Now that I whet your appetite for why and how you should be using video for recruitment, it's time to download or hit play! As an added bonus, Abby shared this "Skill Scout Video Recipe," a free checklist with questions to ask and clips to capture. Click here to download. In addition, here's the link to a 1-minute video about how to set your shot with a smartphone. And here's the link to Abby's article 5 Ways to Introduce Video into Your Candidate Experience.

Recruiting top talent in 2018 - from the production floor to the C-Suite - will be more competitive than ever. To reach and engage qualified candidates, organizations must stand out. And no matter how creative the text-based job posting, text is still text and it pales in comparison to the power of video. For example, video is watched and shared 1200% more than text and images. The impact of video in search engine rankings is 50X greater than text and video. How can recruiters and HR take advantage of the power of video. Join Ira S Wolfe and his guest The Video Godfather Lou Bortone, author the new book Video Marketing Rules. In this podcast you will learn what it takes to convert your cold-and-corporate job postings to warm-and-engaging. It's much easier than most people think and the ROI can be spectacular. Don't forget to check out Lou's website at www.loubortone.com and grab a copy of his book Video Marketing Rules. And while you're shopping don't forget to pick up a copy of my new bestseller Recruiting in the Age of Googlization.

Sociology professor Tony Campolo said, "I am convinced we don't live in a generation of bad kids. We live in a generation of kids who know too much too soon." From an intellectual perspective, Millennials today have been exposed to so much more than Gen X and Baby Boomers at the same age. They've consumed information on everything from cyberspace to sexual techniques before they graduate from middle school. Everything is coming at them sooner.[1] On the other hand, many believe that emotional maturity is lacking. Some blame the "helicopters parents." It's like the butterfly grew up but couldn't live outside the cocoon (or the parents' basements!) But there might be another reason for the immature attitudes - a lack of emotional intelligence. Listen to host Ira S Wolfe with guest Jennifer Zamecki discuss Emotional Intelligence and how it may be impacting Millennials as well as employers. [1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/artificial-maturity/201211/the-marks-maturity