Do The Work

Memos to the Universe

Ask Not What SHRM Can Do For You

May 26

Posted by Frannyo in To: HR | 12 Comments

The news of China Gorman’s departure from SHRM cast a bit of a pall on the HREvolution 2010 event a couple of weeks ago.

Someone said they felt hopeless. I myself felt discouraged and let down. I don’t really care much about social media, except as a way to connect with people who practice the kind of progressive, candid, risk-friendly HR I wasn’t seeing at SHRM events.  Speaking plainly, I think local SHRM chapters are often cliquish, conservative, behind the times, useless to those with more than five years of experience, and a little greedy. I think they get the tacit nod toward these behaviors from SHRM National. When China, who went from SHRM COO to interim CEO to Global Outreach Something Or Another,  chose to resign, I took it as a sign that SHRM would never “get it,” and my last hopes regarding the organization’s direction went up in smoke.  I felt that momentum that had been building towards change in SHRM had taken a big step backward.

I was wrong. Not necessarily about SHRM, but about the pedestal I put China on. It’s a little like the difference between the Obama campaign and his administration. We’re learning in lots of different ways that no one person can make things much better on their own. Barack Obama, China Gorman, our CEOs, all need US to create and sustain momentum and leadership. They can’t do it alone. Asking them to do so and then being disappointed when they can’t deliver is a complete cop-out, and creates a dangerous level of apathy.  I think people want to be lead. But we decline responsibility for our own role as leaders at the expense of our families, neighborhoods, workplaces, associations and even country. We have to do the work ourselves.

My friend Victorio Milian asked his readers to put up or shut up, to help create bright spots of positive change within our own spheres of influence.  So, Victorio, here’s what I’m doing about it.

  • I’m developing and leading a class on creating efficiencies in a one-person HR shop. The workshop will be held at HRFlorida 2010 and, afterward, I’ll post a series of articles on the subject. (This has recently been approved for three HRCI strategic recertification hours, so come on along!)
  • I’m using four vacation days to present at and blog about HRFlorida.
  • I’m using another three vacation days to blog about HRSouthwest.
  • I contacted HRHouston about helping them get their 2011 Gulf Coast Symposium plugged in to the online world. (I’ve got to comment here – the first thing they wanted me to do was join for $275 to get the pleasure of helping them. I can’t say I’m excited about this particular opportunity.)
  • At each regional or local SHRM chapter that I touch, I’m going to host open hours for anyone who wants to learn more about how to connect with the smart and business-savvy HR community that populates twitter, the blogging world, ERE, and the like. I don’t think that everyone has to blog and tweet and involve themselves with social media, but all HR pros need to know how to readily source interesting business ideas and next-level HR thinking.
  • I think I’m not going to rejoin SHRM National this year. I don’t really think it matters to them, but I just can’t believe that it’s worth any more investment. I’ve paid into SHRM National for ten years. That’s enough.

China, I’m going to miss you at SHRM National, no way around it. But I do apologize for turning you into a two-dimensional Joan of Arc character, and for not stepping up to the plate earlier.  I’ll help create bright spots within local SHRM chapters and within the HR field.  Thank you for your perseverance and your leadership. And thanks for helping remind us that we’re all capable of leading, if we choose to take it on.

On Clarity and Privacy in Hiring

May 25

Posted by Frannyo in TO: Applicants, To: HR | 4 Comments

A friend, let’s call him Ralph, recently lost his job. He was really upset because he doesn’t have a degree and he knows how hard it will be to get to the same type of job without one. Around the same time, another friend in my network called looking for someone with basically the same unique skill set and background that Ralph had. Miraculously, a degree was not required. I hooked them up, just like a good little node in the social world wide web is supposed to do.
I followed along as Ralph breathlessly proclaimed his excitement at every step on the weeks-long interview ladder. He just knew it was the right job for him, and he couldn’t wait to get started.
Until they asked for his 2009 W2.
And he said, “No.”
So they said, “No.”
And now Ralph is sitting in his apartment watching Oprah rather than doing great things for this company.
Who’s in the wrong here? I dunno.
But if you’re a job seeker looking for career advice, here it is: Don’t expect that every aspect of the hiring process will be respectful of your privacy. (We share a bathroom with a company that has all applicants do drug tests on the spot, whether it’s a call center or CFO job opening. Dignity and privacy are not high on the descriptor list for that process.)
If you’re an HR department looking for recruiting advice, here it is: Explain the entire hiring process, including that you will be asking for W2s or making them pee into a cup, if that’s what you do, in the first interview. You can save yourself a lot of time and heartache by being upfront about your expectations from the very beginning.
If, like me, you’re just a cog in the networking machine, keep trying. You never know what can come from introducing people to one another. If something works out, great. If it doesn’t, you can all still learn something new.

Better Late Than Never? HREvolution 2010

May 24

Posted by Frannyo in To: HR | 3 Comments

HREvolution posts have come and gone. Now that I’m on vacation, I can finally organize just a few thoughts.
I love seeing people in real life. Context is everything, and when I see people who are kicking ass and taking names in action, it makes me stronger and more committed to my own goals. Some people just exude intentionality, and being around them makes me much more focused. Just a few examples

  • All the volunteer leaders of HREvolution, keeping their word, getting down into the details, and making stuff happen in order to pull off an impeccable event. You know who they are. And how awesome they are.
  • Sarah White moving from Bright Idea to Execution in the space of ten minutes. During the discussion of HRIS advisory services for small companies, it became clear to Sarah that there was a market opening that she was uniquely qualified to fill. A few pecks on her iphone later, and she owned her new URL. She hosted planning meetings that day. I have no doubt Sarah will take this idea all the way.
  • Amanda Hite and her posse move through a room like lions on the hunt. Amanda is literally a self-made woman, and she knows how to work for what she wants. Amanda owned the responsibilities of micro-celebrity, never forgetting to treat each of her “fan-friends” to her full attention. She truly gets that she’s onstage at events like this, and that each interaction matters. I know she must have been exhausted by the time she got home, but her energy never flagged in front of others.

I thought a lot about personal responsibility at this event. The lack of structure of an unconference is a perfect fit for me.  I loved being responsible for getting what I needed out of the conference, rather than just being force-fed slide after slide of data and opinion.  It was great to get to ask people directly about how they’re getting things done, what they’re thinking about at work these days, and what they’d like to create next.  It made the conference much more work, but much more useful, than those meetings where one person does all the talking and the folks with great input sit there taking notes. If you don’t like talking to new people, or you don’t have the discipline to make things happen for yourself, there are always more traditionally structured meetings or conferences to keep you up to date.

Thanks to everyone who participated in HREvolution, at whatever level, and whatever your goals were.  I learned something from each of you, and I hope you got more out of it than you put in, as another attendee observed.

Kimberly Roden – HR Leadership Without a Corporate Net

Apr 7

Posted by Frannyo in TO: Owner or CEO, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Kimberly Roden is a senior level HR generalist with 20 years of experience.  Kimberly is looking for a new opportunity – it doesn’t necessarily need to be a full blown HR generalist role – it just needs to be a role that can solve problems and work with humans.  Kimberly will be on HR Happy Hour on Thursday April 8 talking about best practices when you’re a one-person HR shop.

Kimberly, tell us a little about your favorite job you’ve ever had.

The best position I ever had was with an entrepreneurial organization called AND1.  It was a young company that moved fast.  There weren’t formal training programs; it was a “sink or swim” environment.  Everyone who was hired knew what they were hired for and what the mission was:  “To be the #1 Basketball Company in the World.”  It was defined every single day from the attitudes of the team and the leaders. The down side to that is that I have no hard metrics of my work (in print) on my resume because we were too busy!

It did come with challenges – due to the lack of real life corporate experience from the employees as well as some of the leadership.  For many of the employees, it was their first job out of school.  It made it great for them but not so great because it wasn’t the real world.  You can’t have a “first job” like that and not have high expectations of Corporate America.  <sigh> As for me, I knew it was Nirvana and enjoyed every minute of it.  The company sold and I’ve never been the same.  I even took a break from Corporate America and started my own pet sitting & dog walking gig for a few years.  I was grieving.

When we spoke, I loved that you had so many examples of real-life experience that you can only get with front-line HR. Can you tell us a few of your most vivid work experiences?

Oh wow… there are so many, really.  HRCI, eat your heart out… you can’t teach this stuff in a book!  A few of the ones that really stand out throughout the years are when I administered CPR for what was thought to be a potential drug overdose or drug reaction by an employee.  Another early morning, I walked into a senior executive’s office only to find him and his “date” sleeping under his desk – from the previous night.  By far, the most memorable one was being in a termination meeting and during the explanation of the termination, the distraught employee pulled out a firearm.  Yes, I AM employee relations!

I also really liked that you are much more focused on doing the work than on theory. Tell us a little about that.

I’m a real person.  I don’t hide behind fancy words or consultant-speak.  I can walk the walk and do it professionally.  I’m an uber-professional!  I get along with everyone but I’m not loud about it – I have a saying that I believe in, “You don’t have to explain what others can see for themselves.”  You see it’s all about what folks observe when they’re watching you work – how you work and how you treat others.  What managers and leaders don’t get is that you can’t preach the way you want others to be treated and then not do it yourself.  People aren’t stupid, they don’t miss that.  But, it happens every single day and no one tells them.

If you want to talk about employee engagement and why it isn’t happening, start at the top.  The real challenge is TELLING the person at the top that they’re the problem.  That rarely occurs, so the cycle continues.  So for the folks who call themselves experts, gurus, ninjas and whatever other term du jour they call themselves – you can analyze until the cows come home but action is the only thing that makes change.  I know change – it’s the only thing that stays the same.

You are on Twitter and Facebook and you have a pretty thorough LinkedIn presence. Has any of that helped you with your search?

I’ve met some great recruiters on Twitter and have learned a lot.  LinkedIn has been the strongest source of job leads – the posted jobs.  I’m getting the feeling that recruiters are under a lot of pressure and they’re busy.  Yea, that’s it – it must be.  I’ve had phone screens by at least a dozen recruiters for real positions.  The problem is after the screen, they fall off the planet.

Locally, what has been the best source of leads for your search?

I belong to an HR networking group in Princeton, NJ.  There are requirements to belong in that group and one of them is that the members must have at least 10 years of experience.  So, when we share leads, they’re good ones.  Some of them may be redundant since we’re located in the same geographical area, but still good leads.

What have you learned during this search that you might use when you get back to work?

Well, it has really reinforced how I will continue to treat humans and how I will continue to practice empathy – in every way.  It’s no secret that being in a job search and being “in transition” is stressful.  Empathy is a powerful trait that many professionals don’t have.  Recently, I’m convinced that not everyone is even capable of being empathic.  It’s not wrong, just different.  When you have empathy, you don’t judge and you don’t pity – you understand. When you have that ability, you can be far more useful to every human being you come across in life.

Anything else you’d care to share?

Yes, actually!  As I mentioned, I’ve had my share of phone interviews during my search.  Of the two face to face interviews I had, one resulted in an offer to which I turned down for many reasons.  The other would have been an offer but the job level was restructured to a junior level position due to budget restraints.  It is difficult to “shine” over the phone and I’m not an online “rock star.”  When you meet me, you’ll love me!

Laurie Ellen Shumaker: Lawyers, Leadership, and Laughter

Mar 9

Posted by Frannyo in TO: Owner or CEO | 1 Comment

Laurie Ellen Shumaker is an attorney eligible to work in-house in most jurisdictions as an authorized House Counsel. Laurie Ellen’s previous experience includes nearly 24 years working for companies focused on commercial real estate (shopping centers), including land and property development, leasing, title reviews, governing documents, and resolving the differences between parties in a way that builds relationships and facilitates success. Laurie Ellen is looking for a role as a transactional attorney for a company that would be able to use her experience in communicating, negotiating, and drafting documents, preferably on the East Coast.

L E, tell us a little about your proudest accomplishments so far in your career.

My bottom-line ‘theme’ I’m most proud of is that I’ve been able to open doors and windows for quite a few people who were almost too smart for what they’d buried themselves doing but didn’t have the confidence or opportunity to stretch and grow. One of my ‘mentees’ started out as a secretarial temp and then became a vice president at the public company where we’d worked together, and another went from being a construction assistant to becoming a wonderful attorney who helped a lot of people.

Another was being told “it can’t be done” when one company I was with decided to go public and they wished that a certain number of transactions, that would normally have been worked through over a 2-year period, could be completed in the 6-week period prior to the IPO. And I got it done with a couple of days to spare (and all my nerves worn to bits!)

A third milestone of which I am proud happened when a public company I worked for had to deal with the fall-out of a couple of high ranked officers were found to have ‘cheated’ the company, our customers, and the stockholders, and Wall Street critics were clamoring for all of us at the company to be shot and our families sent a bill for the cost of the bullets. In the middle of that uproar and resulting chaos, I was able to rally the troops to continue forward doing the same excellent work we’d been doing before as well as speak directly with our customers and give, and have them accept, my personal integrity and honor as a reason to continue working on deals together. A ‘breakdown’ team was brought in at the top to dismantle and sell off the company rather than fight for it, but my team worked at 100% belief and commitment until the day the sale closed. That was an extremely challenging set of circumstances and we were proud we worked flat-out hard “until they turned our keycards off”.

And what has been your most unusual job or job situation? How did you handle it?

From resolving conflicts between two employees who were let go for spitting at each other, a customer who claimed his ‘assured’ winning of a Billy Idol Look-A-Like contest had been ruined, to driving a former boss to start his time in federal prison, I’ve just tried to stay fair, balanced, and listening to complaints until I could turn the screaming no’s into calm nods of okays.

But probably one of the oddest situations was when a small aquarium store was having to go out of business and owed a lot of money in back rent. The owner of the company agreed to a lower amount of money as long as he got (‘for the office’) a particularly creepy, ugly, and expensive eel for one of the several huge aquariums in the office. As many intricate and complex transactions as I have written the language for, debt forgiveness based on an eel transfer was not something I had experience with. I had to stop laughing and cringing and think hard about what the end result needed to be, and then just sit at the keyboard and bang it out. It worked, and the eel turned up and terrified all of us when it would throw itself out of the tank in the lobby, but the boss was thrilled.

What do people say they appreciate most about you, and your work?

I think most people appreciate that I am not a “typical” attorney, not the type that is subject to all the mean lawyer jokes. They like that I take the time to listen to them and hear what they mean beyond what they say, and then I figure out how to make it work, get everyone’s agreement, and then quickly finish it up… and move immediately to the next ‘to-do’. They like that I have a strong sense of humor coupled with a strong sense of responsibility and commitment, and that I step in to deflect mistreatment of people by those who think they can and I shine the spotlight on people who deserve it but are rarely noticed.

Can you tell us a little about your ideal job situation?

My ideal situation would have me in a position to direct work and be a resource for those in the more direct fray. I would mentor, still, and resolve impasse, be the lovely person whom everyone turned to when no one could agree on which way to go. I would want time to study and research situations and use that to facilitate and streamline workflow, creating a bank of language and/or response that could be easily accessed by people that they could ‘grab’ and move their work along without waiting interminably for someone to help. And I would still be able to write language that not just notes how a problem will be resolved if it comes up but eliminates the possibility of a problem at all.
And what do you know you don’t want to do, either because you’re no good at it or it just doesn’t interest you?

I would greatly prefer not to do “numbers” as a large component of my work. I can “do” numbers but it uses such a different part of my brain and logic that it takes a two-step to do that along with my life of words.

You’ve been out of work for a while now. You and your family have had lots of adventures and changes during that time. What stands out as the best experience during this time?

The best experience during this time, and one which makes me actually appreciate the fact that I was laid off when I was, is that I got to spend a lot of very precious and valuable time with my mother, who my daughter and I cared for during her 7-year long battle with Alzheimer’s. Her physical health had just started giving out and she had to go into a nursing home for 24-hour skilled nursing care, and it terrified her. But being able to be there all the time, for hours at a time, and to be there day and night without ceasing in the last days before she died meant that I had some of the most special moments between us and I do not have to regret not having the time for her that she deserved.

During this period my daughter was pregnant and gave birth to a wonderful young fellow who brings joy and challenge and learning every single day. Being able to be there for her and for him as much as was needed has been another incomparable gift.

We have used all of my savings, my 401-ks, I sold my much loved T-Bird, and finally we moved out of the nice house we were renting in Florida, because of the necessity of trying to keep ourselves going. We have been incredibly fortunate that my daughter had a wonderful friend who has been letting us ‘housesit’ in an old hunting lodge out by the river in Maryland, near DC, while I try to locate a job in this area. That time must end ere long, and then I will try to figure out what to do next.

And what do you think this job search has taught you, that you might apply in your next job?

I have learned from this job search that there are not rules, no formulas for ‘how long’ or what to do, that there are people who will take a lot of advantage of you while you are vulnerable, that the way things are now, you not only won’t get feedback, you won’t get interviews, or calls, or even acknowledgments that you spent the effort to apply for ‘perfect’ jobs. I’ve also learned that some people are the best friends one could ever have, and that pride and false fronts do not help. I will apply the need for kindness, for listening, for helping others along. Before my mother’s Alzheimer’s I would have said that impatience was a bit of a character flaw for me, but dealing with her situation, and endless repetition of the same things over and over, and then dealing with being out of work, so unbelievable and ungraspable for me, I’ve learned to tap into an ocean of patience and calm, and an eternal (I hope!) sea of optimism that TOMORROW I will find that place that wants me.

Joan Ginsberg: Far more Social than Media

Mar 3

Posted by Frannyo in TO: Owner or CEO | 1 Comment

Like many of the people I’ve featured lately, Joan Ginsberg is looking for a job.  She’s awesome. She’s an attorney, an HR Pro, a Broadway musical fan, and a former cop. You should hire her. But that’s not what I want to talk about.

Joan gets the relational aspects of social media.  She is generous with her time, sincere about the new friendships she’s making online, humble, and hilarious.  Joan manages to strike the right balance between personal branding and self-promotion. She makes no secret that she’s looking for a job, but she never comes across as anything other than interested, patient, and happy to contribute to whatever you have going on. Joan understands that fun and acknowledgement of others go a long, long way in raising your community profile. For instance, Joan used her own blog to plug my Profile Project.  She didn’t  have to do that, and she could have asked to be featured here instead. But she didn’t.

I get to meet Joan in May at the HREvolution 2010 event which she is helping organize. I can’t wait to give her a big hug, though I suspect I’ll be at the end of a long line. Maybe we’ll all break into a Broadway song for her.

Bloom. Dan Bloom.

Mar 3

Posted by Frannyo in TO: Owner or CEO | 8 Comments

Dan Bloom is not your typical human resource professional. He is among the few certified as a Senior Professional in Human  Resources,  Six Sigma Black Belt and Senior Certified Relocation Professional. He is a subject matter expert in corporate relocation, having written the first comprehensive history of the industry which was published in 2005.
Dan has a blog and is on Linkedin and twitter already. He has sent out 1063 resumes, had 23 phone and in-person interviews and is still on the market. If you talk to Dan, what becomes clear is that he very much looks at finding a job AS a job, with measurables, lessons learned, and concerns regarding ROI of social media and other tools.
Dan, you, like several other HR pros I’ve talked to lately, also do consulting. Do you think consulting has helped your visibility or likelihood of hire, or hurt it? What do you think?
I have had a number of recruiters tell me that the hiring manager eliminated my applications because of the consulting. What I am sensing is that many corporate managers feel that anyone who has been a consultant not know how to work in a corporate environment. I think they have a mistaken view of the skills we can bring to the table. First of all as
a consultant I have already done the benchmarking exercise by the virtue that we have worked in various industries and with both small and large organizations.
What do you know you definitely don’t want to do?
I know that first of all we do not want to return to the Northeast or Midwest. My family is not interested in going back to cold wet winters. I am also not interested in being part of an organization where the status quo is the prominent outlook of the company.
Have you used a career coach or job coach, and if you did, how did that go?
No I have not used a job or career coach. I believe that with the totality of experience I can adequately do what a career coach would charge me a fee to do.
You have your own blog and are on twitter – do you think social media participation has helped your search or helped you get more consulting work?
I have at least one contact for a potential consulting contract which I believe came from my web presence. I continue to post informative items on my blog, twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn Questions and Answers. I believe it is only a matter of time before it begins to show its impact on my business.
What have you learned while on this career quest that you can use in your next role?
I believe that I have learned that the vast majority of recruiters are operating on a “rule them out” mentality and as a result are eliminating the very talent that might help the organization excel. If would be my intention as the HR manager of an organization to screen candidates for the attributes they can bring to the organization, not trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.
What have you enjoyed most in your career?
The first is by being a true advocate for the voice of the customer. I have had previous supervisors make the observation that they have never seen anyone with as a high customer service focus as I deliver. The second aspect is I believe that I am an example of Malcolm Gladwell’s connector. I pride my self on maintaining a large network which I can tap as the opportunity arises to help others. An example, I met an individual at one of the Workforce Board Networking groups who was a marketing person. I referred her to a friend in my network who found her a job within weeks of the referral. These referrals are done without any expectation of compensation.

Everything you always wanted to know about…Bob Tarver

Feb 24

Posted by Frannyo in TO: Owner or CEO | 6 Comments

Bob Tarver has been involved in several different careers  from Law enforcement to Retail Management to Teaching H.S. Government, Coaching High School Basketball to currently working in the HR field. Bob is active on Twitter, Facebook, and online HR communities.

Tell us a little about the achievements you’re most proud of in your career. In my first full time position in Human Resources, I developed my skills as a Workers Compensation Specialist. Being based in California ( SF Bay Area) that was no mean feat. The company I was working for ( Freight Forwarding/Cargo transportation) had multiple terminals across the Country.Not only did I have to be aware of WC laws in California, but other states as well.  The Challenges I faced with were Employees who would not notify superiors of injuries when they happened, so they could avoid going to occupational medical facility where they were subject to a drug test, I also had to improve the reporting of these injuries to our insurance carrier. The number of injuries increased over a 3 year period, Several Terminals having the highest cost per injury, the loss of productivity due to these injuries. I was able to overcome these challenges through hard work, constant communication between myself, occupational med providers, insurance adjusters,terminal managers.  Also to reduce injuries, I implemented safety bingo, which awarded employees with cash when there were no injuries at the work location.

 What would your ideal job be?
I am a Generalist at heart, In my last position as a Regional HR Manager, I was responsible for HR functions for 11 Terminals in several states. I would like to be a HR Manager with that type of responsibility in a variety of industries ( Semiconductors, Bio-tech, Retail and if the situation was right, Cargo/Freight Forwarding again)


And what would it definitely not be?
I would not want to be a Benefits Administrator/Specialist/Manager. I have tremendous respect for the people who work in that field.Having the patience to deal with billing issues is unbelievable.I know I would not be very good at that.  I have negotiated contracts with Health Care providers and developed a EAP program in the past.

You are primarily looking in the southwest but you’re in Virginia right now. How did that happen, and how is it working out?
I am looking for an HR opportunity primarily in the Southwest U.S.  ( New Mexico,Arizona,Nevada) California could still be in consideration. My number 1 choice is New Mexico ( Albq), while it is not a “hotbed” of HR activity…it hold a special place in my heart.  I am starting to look at other areas of the country, but again there has to be a number of factors to influence my decision.

Virginia is where I call home. I spent the majority of my growing up years here, I still have the majority of my friends and some family members here.  Its where I went to school. I hold a B.A. in history from Old Dominion Univ and a Masters Degree in HR Management from Troy Univ.  I  left Virginia in  July 2001 to move to Calif for personal and professional reasons. However in late 2007, both worlds fell apart, so I made the decision to fall back and regroup and theres no better place than home.

What have you learned while on this work hiatus, or how has it changed you or the way you’d practice HR in the future?
I have learned that I need to keep current on HR Technology, HR Legislation. I have resolved to get my PHR this year no matter what or who might suggest otherwise. As for how I would practice HR in the future, I would make sure that I kept up with legislation in a more active setting such as volunteering for SHRM legislative committees, becoming more active in my professional organization.

I saw that you recently had a guest blog post (link). What has stopped you from blogging? Do you think there’d be much ROI for you on blogging given your goals and life situation?

I just recently did a guest blog post  for Shennee Rutt’s   Deeply Rutted.  It was interesting doing that post.  I am not a very good writer from the standpoint of being an expert in the field and I want the quality of what I write to be of importance in my field.  I am also not that prolific of a writer like several folks in the HR field.  Plus, after I finished the piece, I didn’t sleep well, I tossed and turned wondering if what I wrote was good enough.  I think the idea of having a blog can be good for a professionals career, however, they must be dedicated to writing at least 2-3 articles a week to keep their readership.  It goes along the way of University professors  ”publish or perish” philosophy.  I just don’t think I could do it for an extended period of time.

Where do you see the field of HR going forward? Do you see the field of HR dying out?

There will always be a need for HR in the field of business as long as there are laws /regulations that govern the way business operates. I do think that HR needs to re-evaluate how it does business,  how it is viewed by other departments.  If the mind-set of Senior Level Management does not change its perception of the HR function or the need to have the function present could spell trouble in the years to come.  HR leaders in companies need to lead the charge by being more pro-active in their approaches.

Shawn Knodel: The Right Man For the (HR) Job

Feb 14

Posted by Frannyo in TO: Owner or CEO | No Comments

I first met Shawn Knodel when we began working together as part of my current company.  Shawn and I made a great team. I’m loud and full of big ideas, he’s quiet, analytical, and the king of follow up and research. Shawn truly cares about the people he supports. Shawn knew the name of every employee’s spouse and child. He would hunt down insurance issues and payroll problems because he wanted to help, not just because it was his job.

Shawn is looking for an HR Management or Senior Generalist role in the Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park and Georgetown areas.

Shawn, tell us a little bit about what you’re most proud of so far in your career?

As past co-workers would attest, although not loquacious, I like to bring a sense of humor and compassion to the department.  Often, the HR community is saddled with the stigma of being the “company police.” I do my best to break down walls with employees. As Franny kindly noted above, I tend to know the ins and outs of our employees and have a vested interest in their well being (including their families). The more trust that you gain with employees, the more they are willing to work  with the company!

I think the accomplishment that is most satisfying is recruiting a new engineer out of college, getting the engineer excited for the new job & new company, trained and situated, and finally watching him or her prosper and excel within the company. I have acted as “a big brother” to these engineers all along the way.  I believe this informal mentorship provided them with a solid platform for being a success.

Tell us a little about what you want to do next.

I’d like to star in a History Channel special with Will Farrell called, “Fig Leaf: The Full Coverage.”  But, seeing as that will likely not come to fruition this month, I guess I’ll have to provide another response!

I am not the communication leader for a whole company.  However, I am very good at absorbing the company culture and promoting it outward to the employees AND to would-be candidates that we are looking to hire.  I am looking for a position that will allow me to be some sort of HR spokesperson or cultural facilitator in some way.

And what do you know you don’t want to do, either because you wouldn’t be good at it or because you just flat hate doing it?

The one thing I wouldn’t want to do is be a full-time recruiter.  HR involves recruiting and I have successfully done it in the past, but it was done with a mix of other duties.  I just don’t have the drive to do recruiting and nothing else.

Now that you’ve spent a little time on the other side of the hiring desk, what will you do different next time you have a chance to design or fix a hiring workflow?

I’ve  noticed two things that I believe need to be addressed at many companies.  First, don’t make the job application process too complex or long.  The best companies provide a quick and complete portal for applying for a job.  Others – Nine web pages for an application?  Don’t!  Having to manually populate resume information AND upload your resume?  Double-duty!  No ability to load a cover letter?  Dumb!

Second, an HR department should know the rules of interviewing.  If a candidate has been spoken with, either via the phone or in person, that candidate deserves to be notified if he/she was not chosen as the final person for the job.  Forgetting this crucial step will provide a catalyst for negative feedback from candidates.  This is all too important given the immediacy of outlets like Twitter and Facebook.

There’s a whole conversation in the online HR community about whether or not HR is dead. What are your thoughts about the future of HR?

I wouldn’t pronounce HR dead.  Yes, there are services and IT bundles that eliminate things that HR traditionally does. ERPs promise to deliver it all.  However, at the heart of all this, there is still a need for people – people to provide service to the internal clients of the company.   I think that HR is being forced to re-make itself.  No longer will there just be HR pros doing just HR things.  Instead, I think we will find that the economy will force (and has forced ) HR people to expand their skill sets to include functions from other jobs.  I see HR professionals getting more intertwined with accounting, IT and marketing. Think of it as a new type of “generalist”, a generalist that provides more bottom-line skills to the company.

Any closing thoughts?
What can I provide to a future HR department?  I believe trustworthyness, honesty and the ability to keep my poise and professionalism under pressure. I see myself as the ultimate “journeyman”, a go-to team player that can help make the others around me better!

Memo to: SHRM and Jungian Analysts

Feb 10

Posted by Frannyo in To: HR | 8 Comments

There is nothing more boring than reading about other people’s dreams.

(Isn’t that how blog posts about dreams always start? And then you are treated to twenty paragraphs of prattle?)

I recently received the first of many annual SHRM renewal notices. I pay for my own SHRM membership, and every year I get a little angina and kvetch about the cost before sending the check in. This year, in addition to some heartburn, I had one hell of a dream* about SHRM.

In the dream, we were all at a conference being held at SHRM headquarters, which were once really nice but now had missing windows on the top stories, lick-and-stick granite coming off the facade, and no power. The doors to the stairs were jammed shut. As a result, the convention was being held in and around bleachers in the parking lot.

And it turned out that the convention, y’all, was actually a corporate cheer leading competition. (I know, right?)

There were four types of people in attendance:

  • Earnest, hard working, happy types who were folding laundry and picking up trash and peer pressuring all their neighbors to cheer along.
  • Good timers who were just there to have fun and didn’t care that they couldn’t hear or see anything. The bleachers fell apart and they brushed themselves off, laughed, and went to get another free drink.
  • Vendors who kept everyone well lubricated from the flasks they passed out behind the stands and slipped their cards in all the purses sitting at people’s feet on the bleachers.
  • Consultants and commentators who used to occupy those top-floor offices back when they were really posh but don’t care much about them now. Mostly concerned with the media and camera time.

In the background, looking frazzled but chipper, China Gorman was working diligently with a lone home renovation contractor to get the power up and running again.

And basically that was it. This weird little vignette stuck in my brain so vividly, though, I felt I had to share it with you.

I don’t know where SHRM is headed, and I don’t know were the HR profession is headed, but I don’t think it would be a bad thing for us to stay locked out of the building while it undergoes repairs. We could all use the fresh air and some time to think past our personal agendas.  Myself included.  I’ll pay my dues again this year, for China and whoever else is helping her get the power back on at SHRM.  I’ll also do what I can to support in a more hands-on way.

As long as the cheer leaders shut up.

Fortune 500 Go! Go! Go!

*My brother’s 40th was the night before this dream. I ate way too many boudain sausage and bacon-wrapped doves, and drank quite a lot of red wine. We had also watched Bring It On in the previous couple of days. So it wasn’t so crazy that all this came together in my hungover head.