Applying for the heck of it

Now, I hear "just apply and see what happens" more often than I want to, especially by Human Resourcers.

I am sorry, but I cannot get the hang of applying somewhere where I am not certain and sincere about wanting to work there. And guess what, you also see it in the cover letter. This means, when applying somewhere just to see if you still got your applicant mojo and wanna see how big of a market value yours is, you waste at least 3 peoples time! The HR, the teamleader and your own.

Having applicants who actually don't want to switch but need a reinstatement of his own ego honestly dissapoints me. It means 3 minutes of reading and screening as well as 5 minutes of turning that person down - and yes I take my time to turn someone down. I make it a personal thing. Cause, well, rejections are always taken personal. And if not written sincere and with a constructive feedback they certainly are taken personal the wrong way. Hell, all these employer judging pages like kununu and co. prove it.
And even those take a certain time to be replied to properly.

So, in my Cee-Lo voice: "get your shit together and be sincere, man"!

Also, I find it important to not only state why you think you would fit perfectly to that position advertized. But also where you want to go and what makes you being so special that you can deal with the tasks offered. And don't forget, debug all errors in your resume! Us HR wanna see if your (honest) profile mmatches the tasks which are vacant to be fulfilled.

Personally, I consider a job a task I can reflect myself in, strengthen my own strengths even more and which can bring me where I want to go. Just don't say stuff like you want to be the next CEO of the company you apply at. Quite frankly, you can expect a rejection within the next three days if lucky.

Be sincere about yourself and you might find the place you wanna stay at for quite a longer time.

Aloha

Job-Ads from the other side

Last week, being on XING, I noticed a fun written Job-Ad by BFFT, a (not so well known to me) automotive engineering company. The Job-Ad was for a an Internship in Personnel Marketing who obviously belonged to the Pinky and Brain Generation. It sounded truely like fun to me, however, it was "just" an Internship. For career starters of three years working experience for instance, such ads appear disappointing.

Nevertheless, this kind of ad actually made me think about why a probably not young staffed company would start speaking the language of current all age 17-25...

Three days later I came across the Job-Ad by Lululemon seeking for a new CEO on Hawai'i. HawaiiNewsNow wrote about it. Now this company is surely no nine day wonder. In fact Lululemon is a grant success in regards to Yoga-Fashion.

Companies trying to speak the "young ones language" is okay. However it HAS TO walk the same talk as the corporate culture does! Having a frumpy or very old-fashioned corporate culture does not make you morally eligable to display a wrong image of a younger company on job-ads. After all, Job-Ads are the first thing that intrigues potential employees to apply for the job. The only acception is a total image change has happened, which is usually only done when the company is in trouble or merged with another firm.

Lululemon did it right tho. Their somewhat healthconscious hippy target group naturally speaks as the ad speaks. And if the company is supposed to be lead just as it was or as easy-going" as before it is surely right and fun to portrait such image via Job-Ad. If you need a CEO to be a firefighting leader, however, employers should reconsider the language in their Job-Ads. Act accordingly - pono.

Aloha

Ford is catching up on German Traineeship System

Now I am pretty late on this but I wanted to share this with y'all.

Look at what Effects the German System of Vocational Schooling /Traineeships are having.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Neat, indeed. So is this. Check this out!

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Change perception!


Aloha

Inspire to Motivate

After reading the book "The Big Five for Life" by John P. Strelecky (which got to thanks to this Blog)I googled a little on the internet and came across this lovely blog entry. Lovely, because it speaks the words from my heart in written lines. It is in German. But I am sure the google translator will get it translated to the basic understanding *wink wink*

So anyways, the entry says as leader you cannot motivate. You can manipulate your employees with incentives or/and pressure or you can decide to be an inspiration to them. This goes along with the book I have just mentioned and read.



The Big Five of Life and the Purpose for Existence are the keys of Thomas Derale, the books main character, and his 14 fortune 500 companies which have a distinctive corporate culture which should inspire all other companies greeding for profits only.

The philosophy is that all employees strive for their personal goals, the big five for life, and by the employer promoting achieving those goals, it gains the employée who will work with passion for the supporting employer. This strengthens the employer-employée-relationship while it allows employée's self-realization without high costs as investment and having more output in passion and in the end profits.

And exactly this should be an inspiration to every leader and especially every CEO. (You will figure out later why and what is CEO from a different perspective).

Think about it, you're welcome.

Aloha

Step by Step - Other European Countries will benefit from Vocational-Schooling

Having to face a financial hardship with a high unemployed rate of a countries youth certainly shouldn't keep a country from developing new ways to keep their new generation of workers out of the gutter.

This article I found today in the German newspaper "Handelsblatt". Our Ministre of Labor, Ursula von der Leyen, supported the introduction of the in Germany common Vocational School System to unfortunately only a few young Spains - with much success. Since end of 2012 Spain sent 5.000 Student to join the German Vocational System via the "Mobility Program Europe".

The only difference is, instead of having "theoretical" School days twice a week accompanied with 3 days of practice at the company supporting the vocation training, this variant switches back and forth from a couple months of theory to practice. It certainly will give the students a better chance to focus on projects on the job better, however it seems to me that the theoretical matter won't be as current and applyable right away.

It is the first round of Students so I am excited how this ball will keep rolling. Staying tuned.

Aloha

The Interview-Travel-Expense Paradigm

Yay, the company you applied at called you up and you arranged an interview. Now the big question is: How to get there at low expenses?

Either way Travel-Expenses in direct connection to arranged Job-Interviews have to be paid upfront. Depending on you pre-existing budget (or not) you will have to find the smartest and cheapest way.
Here in Germany we have the by now well-known §670 BGB. According to this legal paragraph applicants can expect to have their Travel-Expenses reimbursed in proportion to the position applied for when invited to an interview. The problem is, however, as HR you have to rely on the Unit Heads to mention explicitly that resulting Travel-Expenses are NOT going to be compensated.

Now if it was up to me company policy regarding Travel-Expenses resulting from a Job-Interview a lump-sum should be given. The rest of the expenses can be usefully claimed on your taxes. This is by the way omething I always suggest my applicants when inviting them and I hear their mood dropping down from excitement to wallet-faint ;)

What do you think?

Aloha

Awesome! Pure Awesomeness!

So yesterday my facebook newsfeed showed me this post:

Deadline to apply: May 31, 2013
The Shawn Carter (Jay-Z) Scholarship Fund offers scholarship opportunities to any under-served student across the United States Please share.Scholarship Notification Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation APPLICATION DEADLINE is May 31, 2013 Eligibility Requirements Qualified applicants must be a high school senior, college student, and/or between the ages of 18-25, pursuing studies at a vocational or trade school. All applicants must be a US Citizen and complete the on-line application no later than the published deadline date, which is May 31, 2013. The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation is unique in that it offers scholarships to single mothers, children who attend alternative schools, students who have earned a GED, students with grade point averages of 2.0 and students who have previously been incarcerated, etc. but desire a higher educational opportunity. This group is generally not the recipients of college scholarships and is typically ignored by the Board of Education. The Shawn Carter Foundation offers scholarship opportunities to any under-served student across the United States who desires a higher education. One of the key questions asked by the Foundation when students apply for a scholarship is: What are your plans to give back to the community?. CLICK LINK TO APPLY TODAY!!! http://www.shawncartersf.com/apply/


 This scholarship is open to the public.Please apply before the deadline May 31, 2013.

 I am very proud and happy this opportunity is given and I hope PLENTY will take this opportunity! It is awesome and will hopefully help a lot of families and young professionals!

Just one thing keeps me wondering. Why does it need a scholarship whena vocational schooling system can be without having to pay for the school!?

Aloha

Work-Life-Choice contents a Work-Nay-Life-Yay-Choice also

The part of getting to know personnel beyond their CV is what interests me the most in being an HR. Getting to know why they resigned even more. And more and more I found this very reason to be mentioned. Not BurnOut, not the people worked with, the atmosphere, nor the payment. It is the pressure created and based on the tasks that are challenging but mainly "consuming"! Having to take back a lot of the life part from Work-Life-Balance is widely accepted, especially in the time after graduating and self-finding. More and more however I found to talk to people who resigned even with having no job adding in sight at all. They all told me they love their job and the tasks but the amount and the pressure of dead-lines and co just over did it.

So I am asking myself often enough why a supervisor or boss is not seeing these decisions coming?! Why can't companies have an eye on providing enough resources or simply adapt their payment system in order to maintain a staff that is able to handle the workload without risking 12 hour work days?

While over 13 percent of sick-leave in Germany 2010 were declared as reasoned by the psychological issue of burnout companies are parrallel confronted with a rising resignation rate in people who just say Nay to spending 12 hours a day at their desk fulfilling every clients wishes even when it means to put their private life to the very back. And, frankly, I admire the grand courage by these (former)employées for their very reasonable decision.

With applause and admiration and a wish for companies to rethink resources!

Aloha

Qualifications requested rise inproportional to the Understanding and Appreciation shown

In quite a few ways the jobmarket of America and Germany are equally,..well, "special". Both have a lot of young people in extremely low paid jobs - graduates trying to get into jobs to pay for the daily bread, roof and student loans which asked to be paid back. NBCNews' Article from Mon 15th April shows just that. Yet it always lays open how the grade and value of education will rise, but the chances to make something good out of it as in getting a well paid job are little within the first three years after graduating. In good ol'Germany as well as Uncle Sams' Land.

The High School degree, here called Abitur, once available and possible for the good ones is now available and (fairly) possible for most German teens. In order to even get a job be silent a place at a university such degree is manditory. Regarding a colleague of mine who has two completed apprenticeships featured on her résumé sure is not helping her to get a more fulfilling and better paid job. Actually it is still tainted with misunderstand and non-appreciation which I find personally very pity. Or another person I know having her diploma and getting no job as academic at all.

But there we are, us Human Resourcer, recruiting only university and college students not allowed to pay attention to other applicants who may be just as qualified for the vacancy as one in his end-twenties who just earned his diploma or master. Even in Germany the Bologna-Reforma sure didnt bring its highly praised success (yet).

The raising level of qualification-request is understandable considering the development of technology and co. Nevertheless it upsets me how applicants with the courage to having worked several jobs, studying what one is passionate about and even pays attention to work related matters while free time are offered the status as interns only. Once again. Even after six years of studies, three internships and urge to have a stable income one can live from without financial support from mommy and daddy. However, appreciation only comes when accompanying understanding. For most Human Resourcersand straight-ahead-career-makers with the responsibilty of interviewing applicants ignorance is bliss indeed too often.

With hope for more understanding and appreciation,

aloha

"ARRRRRRRRRRRGH" - yup, me too

So NBCNews.com posted this article today. Read it? Good. Me too. Stress is truely the black plague.
Even in Germany Burn-Out Syndrome has overtaken most companies. Causing costs of about 6.3 Billion in Germany  in Healthcare, 3.3 Billion in Production follwing with the falling out of the employée. Costs after ill-health add up even more (Study from 2009). Now those people who hang onto their jobs are the ones being put under stress easier. Depending on how they deal with things Burn-Out / Stress occurs with harsh results.

Now, the demand for work-life balance has been exploded. Especially since the so called Generation Y is on the job market which is more eager to get family, freetime AND job under one roof. But let me rephrase what I heard the other day and had me cracking up, "Let's face it. Work Life Balance, we all don't have such thing. And everybody knows it."

Before I get all too philosophical about life and todays society, check this for the remedies to keep the stress in check, shown on the TODAY show.

BTW, personally, since my body always faints when being under huge stress, I do squats at work. It helps to wake up and let go of inner screams you saved for coworkers, spouses, family and what or whomsoever.

Aloha

Take your pie hole to the kitchen

Most supplement agreements and IT policies talk about it: "Don't eat at your desk". It is nicely written in there because whatever you eat and drink could get into your keybpard, computer, phone, or the table in front or next to the eating. But not only that such occurings would disturb the working process, and believe me the IT also, who will have to fix it. It also disturbs your co-workers. Because no they do not want to hear your jaws breaking of your highly overseasoned chicken thigh nor do they want to smell everything you have taken into your pie hole. The best thing to do when you have hardly to no time and still wanna grab something to eat, get something that smells less and makes good to no noise. But if you need further advice, click here or read your companys policy.

By the way.  In Germany the courts had to decide wether it was a reason to fire someone who (nurse at a seniors home) ate a roll on her way to the next patient. It wasn't, but it was worth a written warning. 

Keep the crumbs away from the desk, the harsh smelling food out of the office and get you pie hole to the kitchen or outside to eat. It is not called a break for no reason! Take a break from your desk!

Aloha

Disney love or Disney fuss?

To be honest, I decided to move to Hawai'i when i saw a job ad from the Disney spa resorts in 'Aulani. I also decided to one day work at Disney also.
As HR I automatically look into reports on how the employer, in this case Disney, really "functions". After praisals of Diversity and even reports by workers on their Homepage, I noticed how superficial their little report is and less about Disney as employer reveals. So google-ing further - actually just one search subject line later - I landed on letstalkdisney.com. A blog bout Disney by a fan and great critic. Especially enlightened I was about this very entry.


(http://www.letstalkdisney.com/working-in-disney-world-behind-the-magic/)

Noticing how many employées had such bad experience I was wondering about how Disney wants to defend its position and most important CHANGE their (harsh) ways regarding employer relations. Maybe the Hawaiian spirit of Ho'oponopono will eventually rub off on it as overall company policy. Not that it has enough already.
As for now though it does what most big companies do handling bad reviews as employer - being quiet.

But that sure is not the solution. Even great names in the business can be avoided as employer (speaking from experience).

Aloha

Checking employees disturbing behavior

I have not worked in HR in the U.S. just yet. But Jenny Lawson's book "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" has given me some interesting insights. (I love this woman btw, so get her book!)
Here she described how she worked over a decade in HR and had to check employees firewalls for offenses against the work ethics and employers ethics especially.
To be honest, I actually thought the HR Departments and especially the employees would and should have already much to do which is why they have no time and need to look at porn or send or print each other pictures of their own nudity. Guess I was wrong!

In Germany I have not heard of any HR Department being required to actually hold real conversations with their employees to clarify if it was their inappropriate pictures and choice of "research" while being at work.
Probably, because employees here are busy enough with actual work and if not rather go internet-shopping.
              Either way I find it awkward and uncomfortable for both parties, so why not figuring out how to keep the employees "work-inadequate mindset" far from the working desk when being in the office/ in the duty of the employer. Are they not busy enough with the actual work in the U.S. also? And aren't HR-persons busy enough already when not necessarily having conversations about "labor-disturbance"...or labor causing...well you get my point. And I know the HR-Departments here are always busy...especially since we have to fight much under such things as the demographic change and the googillion different levels of studies that leave us often with people of great degrees but less work-force when they should be JUST THAT especially.


Lives unusual wonders, I guess.

Aloha

Creative in a cube

The other day I was talking to a friend of mine who is a webdesigner and just recently switched his employer. Most likely because he just started a family and has his views rightfully on the beneficial side of the cup. As offspring-leader at home myself I certainly understand the temptation coming from a higher payment and other benefits such as a family healthcare-plan.

The whole job, however, had one catch.
It kinda looked like this one:



How...erm...creative, ain't it?! Yeees, not really, sorry. Especially when you have a supposely creative job.

The times I was having a few minutes to view into our creative offices at my former and current agency I actually saw creativity triggers around, as I love to call em. From Kicker-Tables, over offices decorated as gardens to sleeping bags and swings even. Yes, I said it. Swings...like those for children, just those are for creative bulbs.
So how or why can some creative communication agencies find some creativity in their workspace too? You know, putting a whole lot of employees in one room can be a great task being completed in creative manners too, and cubicle offices certainly are NOT creative, sugar.

So please employers and HR-Departments from creative agencies and what not departments named to be creative or at least produce creative products....please, get some C-R-E-A-T-I-V-I-T-Y in there. Thank you!

Aloha,
Nan


PS: As for friends or desperate webdesigners stuck in a cubicle..save some money for fun wallpaper, hang up your baby's paintings or craft yourself a garden as long as you cannot breath some fresh air of creativity.