Over the last week or so there’s been a ton of buzz over Richard Branson’s unlimited time-off policy for the Virgin Group. Personally, I think this move is a great one and helps further acknowledge that these B.S. two-week vacations (if you’re lucky) should be a thing of the past. Hire adults and treat them like adults. Period, stop. (Quick …
3 Goals to Improve Your Onboarding Regimen (Or Lack Thereof)
For most companies, the reality of a smooth onboarding process is mostly a pipe dream. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few onboarding goals to help you take your “process” from ragtag and immeasurable to organized and effective: Goal 1: Maximize Face Time The idea here is to make your one-on-one interactions with new employees more impactful …
4 Ways to Make Sure Millenials Don’t Blow Off Your Training
I make training software for growing businesses and I was born in 1988, so you could say I have a unique perspective on the millennial-training conundrum, which effectively posits that the millennial generation is annoyingly difficult to engage in corporate training programs. With that in mind, I went ahead and put together a little cheat sheet for anyone who needs …
Welcome to Your New Job! Now Please Don’t Touch Anything.
Ok, picture this. You’ve just spent the last three months trying desperately to hire someone to fill an especially difficult position. You’ve interviewed more candidates than you care to admit, had to spend more recruiting dollars than you had the budget for, and you’ve been getting an earful from the hiring manager on how this vacancy is killing their team. …
Advice to 2013 Grads from HR [Video Bonus!]
It’s that time of year when college and universities around the world will release onto us the great minds of the 2013 graduate class. This always makes me think of the popular advice – Wear Sunscreen: While this advice might be from 1999 – it still rings true today – but like everything else in the world this can be …
1st Time Job Regrets
how can i get back with my ex girlfriend One of the most read blog posts I've written in the last two years is: How To 'Really' Get An Entry Level Job. It's pretty basic, straightforward advice on how I would go about finding an entry level job, if I was just coming out of college. One piece of advice …
I've Caught a Case of 'Newbulshit'
There's something that I think most employees experience from time to time, that feeling like no one is listening to me! It happens to everyone from the CEO down to the janitor. I'm sure the lower down the career ladder you go, the more you experience this feeling. Many times it really isn't that people aren't listening. In fact, you're …
Advice for starting a new job – FOT-Style
For me as well as for I am sure many other folks in FOT Nation these first days of 2013 are not just the start of a New Year, but also are the start of a new job. In a bit of shameless self-promotion, and for anyone that cares, the details of my new gig can be found here. New …
As You Go
One of the biggest failures of the “candidate experience” dialogue is that the main point is usually lost on folks… treat people humanely. Process, products and/or people will not solve the “problem” if your core values are dark and/or meaningless. Hello, my name is Lipstick on a Pig, have we met? Don't get me wrong. I think it’s good for …
The HR Olympics
Oh, I got me some Olympic Fever! The Summer Olympics are the best – it’s like NCAA Tournament time but with sports we only care about once every four years! This Summer Olympics I’m even more invested than usual because we have a local athlete from our hometown of DeWitt, MI, Gymnast Jordyn Weiber, competing, so I expect I’ll be …