HR Roundtable Houston Has a New Location

LinkedIn Groups

Group: HR Roundtable Network Subject: RSVPs needed for next Roundtable Network Meeting on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. NEW LOCATION If you're planning to attend the meeting: 1) Please send an email to Joey.Edwards@LHH.com with your name and email to be added to the attendee list. 2) Note that the meeting will be held at Lee Hecht Harrison's NEW LOCATION at 7676 Woodway Drive, Suite 325, Houston 77063. Our guest presenter will be author & speaker Rick Gillis who will discuss new book- Job! Learn To Find Your Next Job In 1 Day. As a result of over 15 years of speaking and counseling job seekers, Rick has learned that 1) regardless of the position people seek, they don't know how to successfully navigate the resume-filtering software that is designed with the sole purpose of eliminating them from consideration; and 2) Rick knows that, job seekers, for the most part do not know how to express their value to an employer. The event agenda is-- 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM Networking & Coffee 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Presentation There is a $5 cover charge to attend. Active LHH candidates should register via the CRN and identify themselves at the door to avoid the cover charge. Happy new year, and we look forward to seeing you! Posted By Lynda Doty

Kindle Has PHR and SPHR Study Guides

It's been exam season since December 1, and the majority of the people I know are taking the PHR and SPHR late in January.  The weather is perfect to get cozy and read a... Kindle.

Below are some Kindle study resources in the order of their ratings on Amazon.com.  Check out the ones that you can borrow for free on Kindle!

SPHR Exam Practice Questions (First Set): SPHR Practice Test & Exam Review for the Senior Professional in Human Resources Certification Exam by SPHR Exam Secrets Test Prep Team (Kindle Edition -Dec 23, 2010) - Kindle eBook

• $9.99Kindle Edition

PHR / SPHR: Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide by Sandra M. Reed and Anne M. Bogardus (Kindle Edition -Apr 18, 2012) - Kindle eBook

• $30.32Kindle Edition

SPHR Exam Flashcard Study System: SPHR Test Practice Questions & Review for the Senior Professional in Human Resources Certification Exam by SPHR Exam Secrets Test Prep Team (Kindle Edition -Nov 28, 2011) - Kindle eBook

• $72.83Kindle Edition

SPHR Exam Prep: Senior Professional in Human Resources (2nd Edition) by Larry Phillips (Kindle Edition -Jul 16, 2007) - Kindle eBook

• $24.19Kindle Edition

PHR / SPHR Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide by Anne M. Bogardus (Kindle Edition -Oct 16, 2009) - Kindle eBook

• $32.99Kindle Edition

PHR - SPHR Study Guide: 2012 Edition by David Siler (Audible Audio Edition -Apr 2, 2012) - Abridged

• $26.95Audible Audio Edition
• Available at Audible.com

PHR/SPHR Practice Test - 2012 Edition by Aaron Frias (Kindle Edition -Dec 17, 2012) - Kindle eBook

• $8.99Kindle Purchase
• Borrow this book for free on Kindle

• Prime members read for free Join Amazon Prime

HR Certification Institute Official PHR and SPHR Certification Guide by Raymond B. Weinberg (Kindle Edition -Sep 1, 2009) - Kindle eBook

• $14.37Kindle Edition

SPHR Exam Secrets Study Guide: SPHR Test Review for the Senior Professional in Human Resources Certification Exam by SPHR Exam Secrets Test Prep Team (Kindle Edition -May 24, 2011) - Kindle eBook

• $145.69Kindle Edition

Countdown to 2013: Five Key Predictions for the Future Workforce from MBO Partners

PRWeb – Thu, Dec 27, 2012

 

December 27, 2012. MBO Partners, the leader in the $250-billion and growing independent consulting sector in America, offers five key independent work predictions that will shape the American business landscape in 2013.

 

Prediction 5. The Empire Strikes Back. As even more Americans turn to independent work, federal, state, and local tax and labor agencies will try to put the genie back into the bottle with aggressive employee reclassification enforcement, triggering increased fear of huge penalties and the threats of class-action lawsuits.

 

• Expect increased scrutiny of companies engaging independent workers as either 1099 workers, single-person corporations, and even through online payment services like PayPal or credit card -- all to ensure appropriate taxes are being withheld.


• Also expect State agencies to work to aggressively offset more than $4 trillion in deficits largely due to unemployment funding. The Department of Labor has reaffirmed that worker misclassification is a top priority and signed memorandums of understanding with the IRS and at least 11 state labor agencies to coordinate enforcement activities. The FY 2013 budget includes $14 million to combat misclassification including $10 million for grants to States to identify misclassification and recover unpaid taxes and $4 million for investigators at the Wage and Hour Division.

Tip: Look out for greater inter-agency collaboration and data sharing between Federal and State labor and tax regulators. Also, look for efforts from regulators to create public-private partnership solutions to help with tax compliance.

Prediction 4. Microbusiness will be Big Business. The number of firms with just one employee has steadily increased, growing from about 14 million in 1992 to nearly 22 million in 2010. By contrast, The US Small Business Administration reports employer firms fluctuated from a little less than 5 million to more than 6 million over the past 25 years.

• The nation’s nearly 17 million independent professionals will continue to drive a micro-business revolution and will work in loose collaboration with other micro-firms to increase their share of the economic pie.


• Independent work will become the incubator for the birth of new employer based businesses, as 1 in 12 independent workers plan to launch larger employer firms in 2013.

Tip: Expect increased interest from economists and policy makers in the behaviors and motivations of solopreneurs and microbusinesses as a new jobs-creation engine.

Prediction 3. Companies Tap the Expert Talent Pool. Look for contingent talent management to take on a more strategic role in the boardroom and on the HR agenda as companies embrace the use of just-in-time expert talent.

• Expect more buyers — all the way from large enterprises to start-ups — to use the expert economy to obtain competitive advantage by cutting time-to-market costs, or by optimizing their talent mix.


• Look for the independent workers across the generations to be tapped as flexible assets — from millennial creative, to mid-career Gen X’ers, to Encore-act baby boomers.

Tip: Look for companies to invest more in alternative workforce arrangements than ever before to retain and attract expert talent.

Prediction 2. The Solo Support Industry Grows Up. 2013 will give rise to a host of new products and services for the independent worker:

• Expect a multitude of niche marketplaces to connect independent experts directly with the organizations that need to tap their services.


• Expect more self-help and content-based guidance for becoming self-employed, especially for experienced workers.


• Look for growth in managed services and self-service tools for business management, including sales and marketing, CRM, contract management, taxes, accounting, billing, benefits and professional development.


• Expect to see a greater jump in coworking or solo office arrangements to support a growth in workers, with a trend to even more niche co-working solutions for specific talent pools.

Tip: On the heels of the new Affordable Healthcare Act, expect to see more health care solutions designed to address the needs of the growing solo worker population.

 

And Prediction Number 1: The New ‘Revolving Door’ Career. Long considered a negative, the new ‘Revolving Door’ career between independent work and traditional employment will become a career positive for both employers and workers. By the end of this decade, one in two members of the U.S. private workforce will have tasted or embraced career independence, moving seamlessly between traditionally employed and independent work roles. As professionals revolve, they will also evolve, gaining specific, marketable expertise to help take them to the next career level.

 

• Expect individuals to move between full-time and contract gigs in an attempt to climb, and not fall down, the career ladder.


• Expect an ever-greater number of career reinventions from late-stage experts retiring from traditional work and starting solo professional services firms.


• Expect more returning workers to offer fresh perspective and energy and help to re-shape the enterprise’s view of worker value and impact

Tip: According to contingent workforce expert Gene Zaino, CEO of MBO Partners, “Professionals will use the independent work path to change, extend and grow their careers. No longer will independent work be a black mark on the resume; instead, expect it to become a tool to fast-track a career.”

__________________________________________________________

Want more predictions for 2013?  Here are some from Forbes - http://www.forbes.com/sites/advisor/2012/12/26/top-10-or-12-2013-predictions/

Want to Reach 4,100 HR Folks? Be a Sponsor for Texas HR Pros Networking Events

Every quarter, Texas HR Pros organizes networking events in Dallas, Austin, and Houston.  These are perfect opportunities for companies, whose clients are HR professionals, to reach a targeted audience of 4,100 members.

According to an article by Susan Friedman, sponsorship is the fastest growing form of marketing in the U.S. With this in mind, you can find unlimited opportunities to broaden your competitive advantage by increasing your credibility, image and prestige in sponsoring events attracting your target market.

Sponsorship offers the possibility of achieving several goals at once. According to Schmader and Jackson, in their book, Special Events: Inside and Out, a company can benefit from sponsorship in many ways, such as:

Enhancing Image/Shaping Consumer Attitudes
Often companies are looking to improve how they are perceived by their target audience. Sponsoring events that appeal to their market are likely to shape buying attitudes and help generate a positive reaction. Coca Cola, for example is always looking to generate a positive influence of their products in the minds of their consumers and as such regularly support events they feel can influence consumer opinions.

Driving Sales
Sponsorship geared to driving sales can be an extremely potent promotional tool. This objective allows sponsors to showcase their product attributes. Food and beverage companies often use sponsorship to encourage samplings and sales.IEG’s Complete Guide to Sponsorship cites Visa’s fund-raising effort around its sponsorship of the Olympic Games and the U.S. Olympic Team. They promoted their association by offering to make a donation to the team each time consumers charge a purchase to their card. American Express used a similar strategy by donating to needy causes with their "Charge Against Hunger" campaign. As a result, both companies experienced a significant rise in sales volume.

Creating positive publicity/heightening visibility
Every sponsor is seeking wide exposure in both electronic and print media. Positive publicity helps create heightened visibility of products/services. Various media covering the event may include sponsors names and/or photos. In addition, the kind of media coverage a sponsor may get is often unaffordable if the company were to think of purchasing it, and if it were available. To maximize this objective, it is important for the sponsoring company to have a comprehensive media campaign to augment the regular media coverage promoted by the organizers. Sponsorship can often generate media coverage that might otherwise not have been available.

Differentiating from competitors
The mere act of sponsoring an event, especially an exclusive sponsorship, is a significant way to create competitor differentiation. Your company name has the opportunity to stand out head and shoulders above the competition. This is particularly helpful if your company wants to combat a competitor with a larger ad budget. Sponsorship allows smaller companies to compete with their industry giants. Target audiences often perceive sponsorship in a positive way. They see you as making a greater effort to support the event, often allowing more or better activities to take place as a result of your sponsorship.

Helping with good "Corporate Citizen" role
Another powerful sponsorship objective allows companies to be viewed as a "good neighbor." To be seen supporting the community and contributing to its economic development is extremely powerful and creates enormous goodwill.

Enhancing business, consumer and VIP relations
Learn more and read rest of Friedman's article here:  http://marketing.about.com/od/eventandseminarmarketing/a/sponsorship_2.htm

We hope your company will participate.  If you have any questions about how we can highlight your company for sponsorship, please feel free to contact founder Eric Griesel at texasatty@gmail.com.

Ask the Talent Management Coaches Webinar on January 16

Talent Management: Ask the Talent Management Coaches, Part 2

Webinar Registration

Register for our “Ask the Talent Management Coaches, Part 2” webinar and learn from our panel of coaching experts how to solve your most challenging HR problems. The response to our “Ask the Talent Management Coaches” webinar was overwhelming and we received over one hundred excellent questions from our attendees. We are pleased to extend this popular topic and format by adding a “Part 2” to address additional topics. This is your opportunity, as an HR and/or talent management professional, to ask recognized coaches to assist you with your most pressing issues. When registering for this January 16, 2013 event, let us know what you'd like our experts to address during this 60 minute webinar. Our topics will include: - Employee Development: how should managers, as coaches, work with employees to improve their performance reviews and achieve their ultimate career goals? - Talent Management technology/integration: what should a company consider when looking for technical solutions to drive their talent management strategy? - Career Pathing: How do we retain top performers who are focused on advancing their careers and want to have a clearly defined career path? - Survey/Assessment: What is the best way to structure and collect employee feedback and apply it to a company’s practices and culture? Register now to jumpstart your 2013 talent management roadmap.

Job Search Team for HR Positions Begins on January 3

Dear HR Colleagues In-transition:

 

As you may have heard or read on LinkedIn, Texas HR Pros is launching an HR-specific job search team.  The main purpose is to help each other with the job search, including job leads and other networking resources, in order to help land your next HR opportunity. 

 

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, and willing to commit to, please attend the initial informational meeting on:

 

Thursday, January 3

12:15 – 1:15 PM

Second Baptist Church

6400 Woodway Drive

Houston, TX 77057

Multi-Purpose Room

 

Please note that we may be adding more teams and will explain more details at the upcoming meeting.

 

The team will meet for a working lunch shortly after the weekly Professionals In-Transition Job Search Strategy Training session by Texas HR Pros.  The job search training sessions begin at 9:00 AM, every Thursday, in the Multi-Purpose Room, at Second Baptist Church. The training sessions are typically three hours.  All who are seeking jobs or candidates are encouraged to attend.
 

We hope you’ll opt to participate.  If you have any questions in the meantime, please feel free to contact founder Eric Griesel at texasatty@gmail.com. 

The Most Dangerous Job in the World- Santa Claus

Second Baptist Church Job Fair - Employers Pre-register Now!

Dear HR Professionals and Recruiters:

We would like to extend an Early Bird Registration opportunity to you for our 2013 Job Fair being held on March 1st.

Participation is open to the first 65 registered employers with current salaried positions available. Once your registration is received, it will be reviewed and you will receive a follow-up email indicating approval of participation.

Please fill out the following information to submit your request.  Pre-Registration: https://second.wufoo.com/forms/career-fair-2013-employer-registration-form/

 

Thank You!
Career Connections Team
Second Baptist Church – Houston, TX
www.second.org

Does Your Company Have an Inclusive Holiday Environment?

In the spirit of this lovely time of year, we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, Happy Chinese New Year, Happy Boxing Day, Happy Winter Soltice, and all other festive observances.



Texas HR Pros' leaders will proudly be celebrating a glorious Christmas.

The beauty about American freedom is that we all can observe and proudly celebrate every holiday we want..."the more the merrier".  Here are some other holidays in December.

Want to increase your diversity initiatives at the office?  2013 is a perfect time to start using a holiday calendar.  Below are diversity tips from About.com's contributor Simma Lieberman-

Three Ways to Build Your Awareness of Diversity and Create an Inclusive Holiday Environment

1. Learn about other religious or holiday celebrations. Carve out some time from online shopping or a holiday TV show to learn about another culture's celebrations during this time. Watch a TV special about other celebrations, do a Google search on a holiday, or check out books at your local bookstore while gift shopping. Share your learning with others, and use it as a chance to expand the conversation at parties and at the dinner table.


2. Make no expectations about other religious or holiday celebrations. Realize that people celebrate a variety of holidays during this time of year, and some people choose to celebrate none. Be respectful of these differences by taking interest in other people's traditions and making them feel welcome. Don't be afraid to ask people what holidays they celebrate. Find out what they do during this time of the year that is special. Let it be an opportunity to learn about different cultures and religions and the traditions that accompany them.


3. Mark your calendar and your address book with other scheduled religious or holiday celebrations. If the calendar you use does not list holidays like Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Ramadan, and Diwali, find out the dates and record them as reminders. Many programs like Microsoft Outlook allow users to add calendar dates for celebrations from different parts of the world automatically, making this task quick and effortless. Take a few minutes to mark your address book with the holidays that people celebrate. When writing holiday cards, recognize their holiday, and include a little hand-written note acknowledging their celebration.

A Note for Employers about Religious or Holiday Celebrations

Here are a few extra things employers can do to make their workplaces more inclusive during the holidays.

• Make sure your holiday party isn't a Christmas party in disguise. Decorations and food should be general, and not specific to any religion.


• Consider having a New Year's party instead of a holiday party. This type of party can get everyone on board with the company's mission and vision for the New Year.


• Post holiday greetings on your webpage and Intranet for many religious holidays.


• Be respectful of these special dates, and plan events and meetings around various holidays.


• Display a multi-cultural calendar to help all employees stay aware of important cultural events for the rest of the year.


• Be flexible with the needs of different employees about religious or holiday celebrations.


• Encourage employees to share their celebrations through stories, decorations, and foods that they can bring to their workplace.

Breakfast Briefing - Top Ten Employer Mistakes in Employee Leave Issues

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You are invited to attend a Labor and Employment Law Breakfast Briefing Top Ten Employer Mistakes in Employee Leave Issues One of the most common problem areas for employers is dealing with employee leave. The FMLA and the ADAAA, as well as state leave and workers' compensation laws, create a web of legal requirements that often apply when an employee misses work. Issues regarding FMLA intermittent leave, ADAAA reasonable accommodations, payment for time off, fitness for duty, and other issues commonly arise in employee leave situations. Join us for breakfast to hear about recent developments in the law, learn about the mistakes we see the most, and leave with best practices on how to avoid those mistakes – and stay away from costly litigation. Thursday, January 17, 2013 8:00 a.m. Breakfast and Networking 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Program Baker Donelson 2 Houston Center San Jacinto Room Houston, Texas Attorney representing Baker Donelson:Karen D. Smith Continuing Education Credit: This program has been submitted to the HR Certification Institute for review. Space is limited for this event. Program and breakfast are complimentary. RSVP to attend by Monday, January 14, 2013. Register online or email rsvp@bakerdonelson.com. Baker Donelson hosts many other events that may be of interest to you. To see a full listing of events, click here. Click here to subscribe to our RSS feeds of upcoming events, news and publications. To visit our Labor & Employment blog, click here. www.bakerdonelson.com Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on LinkedIn Read our L&E Blog Receipt of this communication does not signify and will not establish an attorney-client relationship between you and Baker Donelson unless and until a shareholder in Baker Donelson expressly and explicitly agrees IN WRITING that the Firm will undertake an attorney-client relationship with you. In addition, electronic communication from you does not establish an attorney-client relationship with the Firm. The Rules of Professional Conduct of various states where our offices are located require the following language: THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT. Ben Adams, CEO and Chairman of the Firm, maintains an office at 165 Madison Avenue, Suite 2000, Memphis Tennessee 38103, 901.526.2000. No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. FREE BACKGROUND INFORMATION AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. ©2012 Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC.

165 Madison Avenue, Suite 2000, Memphis Tennessee 38103 This email was sent to houstonjobsexpert@gmail.com. To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your address book or safe list. manage your preferences | opt out using TrueRemove® Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.

Institute for Supply Management (ISM) - Houston Job Search Training Workshop on Jan. 19

Job Search Plan, Job Search Tools, The Hunt, The Interview
Training presented By: Eric S. Griesel, JD  (Founder of Texas HR Pros)

Saturday January 19, 2013
9:00 A.M. -  4:00 P.M.
Continental breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack included
Location:   
Aramco Services Company
9009 West Loop South
Houston, TX 77096

Registration Fees: $15 employed ISM-Houston members / Complimentary for unemployed

Registration deadline: Wednesday January 15, 2013.  All payments and registration forms must be received no later than Wednesday, January 15, 2013.

Additional Information: For more information about this seminar, please contact Carleen Glasgow via email at cm_glasgow@hotmail.com. Please ask for the registration form.
Re-Certification Credit: Participants will receive seven (7) CEH’s for the workshop (full-time attendance required).

Eric conducts weekly job search training for professionals.

About the Speaker:

Eric is a creative and visionary C-Suite Manager and Leader with a diverse record of successes in multi-site domestic and global operations. An acknowledged agile performer, Eric embodies all of the competencies necessary to help an organization attain a sustainable competitive advantage.

Eric started his professional career as a felony Prosecutor and Command Legal Officer in the United States Navy, Judge Advocate General's Corps at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. Since that time, Eric has spent most of his career in the C-Suite of several privately-held corporations helping create and implement sustainable organizational infrastructures specifically designed to more fully engage employees and surpass revenue expectations. A majority of that experience has been in manufacturing and the healthcare continuum.

Although he has maintained oversight authority in the critical areas of Risk Management, Human Resources and General Legal Counseling, perhaps his most recognized strength has been in the area of strategic planning. By mastering key trending and engaging in strategic analyses, he is able to help shape an organization’s future landscape and insure the robust sustainability of the enterprise. Coupled with his ability to craft decisive strategic plans through the engineering and networking of knowledge and the capture and analysis of critical information, he has proven to be an indispensable asset in strategic leadership.

Eric has served in the roles of Chief Human Resources Officer, Vice President of Human Resources, General Counsel, Chief Legal Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer, Vice President of Risk Management, and Interim IT Director. In addition, he has been a proactive member on a number of Executive Teams, he has served as legal counsel to several Boards and non-profit organizations and he currently serves as the General Counsel to the Board of the Woman’s Cancer Foundation headquartered in Houston, Texas. Moreover, Eric has significant experience interfacing with International Legal and HR issues as well.

Eric has been a business partner specializing in HR Leadership for more than fifteen years. In addition, he has been an attorney for more than twenty years and is licensed to practice law in Texas, Colorado, Georgia, and his home state of Tennessee. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Political Science with a minor in Economics from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. He went to Graduate and Law School at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee.

With the depth of such critical expertise and the reputation for never over-promising or under-delivering, Eric has been a valued confidant to CEOs and Boards.

The Influential Leader- ASTD Houston Borwn Bag Training on Dec. 19

Give yourself the gift of FREE learning with other passionate practioners!

ASTD Houston Galleria CTN Meeting
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
11:30 to 1:00 PM
CPI (Career Partners International)
2000 Bering Drive Suite 460
Houston TX 77057
Our guest speaker/facilitator will be local author, speaker and coach Ann Perle, who will be sharing her highlights from her most recent work and book, The Influential Leader.
Register here:   http://astdhouston.org/en/cev/712

We start promptly at 11:30 AM, so that we can have time for lively discussion about a timely topic.

We hope you can join us, and look forward to seeing and meeting you!

Make Plans for the Texas Legistlative HRound Up

Home Agenda Register Become a Sponsor Sponsors Hotel APRIL 4, 2013  Austin, TX  Crowne Plaza Hotel The Texas Legislative HR Round Up is a premier conference sponsored by the SHRM Texas State Council in partnership with the Texas Association of Business (TAB) and the Texas Industry Liaison Groups (ILG). This one of a kind event in Texas gives you the opportunity to stay on top of the latest legislative issues at the federal and state levels AND the opportunity to speak with your elected Texas officials. Healthcare regulations, EEOC issues, OFCCP compliance, social media and privacy issues, immigration and National Labor Relations Board activity are just a few of the complex issues we face today. The 2013 Texas Legislative HR Round Up will be packed with speakers and concurrent sessions that will bring you up-to-date on the most recent legislative changes to ensure that you stay in compliance with the law. You will learn how Human Resource Professionals in Texas can have an impact for their companies, employees, and communities at large! You Can and Should Make a Difference! _________________________________________________________ Keynote Speakers: Mike Aitken Tommy Simmons ________________________________________________________ Sponsored By: ________________________________________________________________________ In Partnership with: Create a web page at CityMax.com

The Top 20 Reasons Why December Is a Powerful Time to Recruit

‘Tis the Season for Recruiting — 20 Reasons Why December Is a Powerful Recruiting Month

Article posted on LinkedIn by: Dr. John Sullivan

If you work in an office, you realize that many times the Christmas season can be a less hectic and even a slack period. In most cases, everyone, including recruiters, gear down and change their work patterns for the holidays. But if you’re a corporate recruiting leader, December should be viewed instead as a golden opportunity. It is a prime recruiting month (along with January and June) because many employed prospects have free time to consider a new job due to their own reduced workloads.

The end of the year is also a time where many individuals are reevaluating their current work and life situation and planning for the future. You may be skeptical, but in this article I provide more than 20 reasons why corporate recruiting leaders should actually ramp up recruiting during the holiday season.

The Top 20 Reasons Why December Is a Powerful Time to Recruit

This section contains a list of the top 20 most powerful reasons why December is strategically one of the most effective months to recruit.

1. What better gift to give … than a great job — because it is a season of giving, recruiters should realize that they are not intruding on prospects; they are providing individuals with exciting opportunities that will change their lives. This “gift of a new job” costs the individual nothing but they and their family will get a great long-term benefit from it.
2. Recruiting targets have ample free time– because many employees and even customers take time off during this month, many projects are essentially forced into suspended animation. With teammates taking time off for vacation or shopping, there is simply more slack time for individuals to look for a job and to respond to recruiter calls. There is more time for catching up on reading and learning, so top candidates may be seeing your employer branding materials for the first time during this period. Many take their unused vacation in December (because they may lose it at year’s end) and as a result, they are unusually available for calls and interviews. And finally, the week between Christmas and New Year’s (especially at firms that shut down during that week) is also typically a time when individuals reflect on their life and work and whether it’s time to make a change. When they are off work, prospects don’t need to lie to their boss in order to find time to go to an interview.
3. December is the #1 “easy-excuse month” for candidates– December is the #1 easiest month to find an acceptable use to leave the office. This is because so many employees routinely leave the office for a few hours using acceptable reasons like shopping, running errands, and Christmas parties. Because bosses are so accepting of excuses, it is relatively easy for candidates to make an excuse to get out of the office for either a long lunch or a formal interview.
4. There is little recruiting competition– because many corporate recruiting budgets run out in December, functions that plan poorly may literally have no money available, so they have no choice but to limit recruiting. The lull in the office and having many colleagues absent may also cause recruiters to also want to be less active. Unfortunately, many recruiting managers contribute to the “slack-off problem” by easily accepting the weak excuse that “I can’t recruit because no one’s in the office.” Taken together this means that if your own recruiters are highly active during December, they simply won’t encounter many of your competitor’s recruiters actively fighting with you over top candidates.
5. Smart recruiters will have more time to proactively recruit — on the positive side, the slack office atmosphere during December will give recruiters more time to catch up. Smart corporate leaders will realize that because hiring managers are not opening up new positions and there are almost no job fairs or college recruiting events scheduled during December, their recruiters will have extra time. A significant percentage of the less-desirable “active job seekers” are inactive during the holiday season, and as a result, they won’t flood organizations with their resumes, emails, and calls. Taken together, this reduced volume can free up your recruiters time to search for high-quality resumes that are already in their database and to proactively seek out others using direct sourcing.
6. Hiring managers are finally available– the same slack time and reduced workloads that impact employees also impact hiring managers. In most organizations during December, there are few scheduled meetings, off sites, or professional conferences to attend. And as a result, hiring managers are generally in town and in their office with few excuses to offer as to why they are not available to review candidate resumes and to interview.
7. It’s a great time for employee referrals– because your employees have extra time and they will likely be extremely active on social media during the holidays, it’s a great opportunity to encourage them to find top quality referrals. Because employees will be shopping and going to many holiday events and parties, they are also much more likely to physically meet and interact with top prospects. Employees should be encouraged to send holiday greetings to top prospects and to use the easy communications during the season to further strengthen recruiting relationships.
8. December is bonus payout time– once individuals receive their year-end bonus, they know that they can’t get another bonus for a full year. This payout reduces their incentive to stay at their current firm. Also if they are disappointed with their bonus amount, the percentage of next year’s salary increase, or if they feel that others who were less deserving got better pay, they now have new good reasons for beginning a job search.
9. Prospects will be highly active on social media– the holiday season is a prime time to be contacting friends, online shopping, and sending pictures and greetings. Taken together this means that prospects will be frequently be online and that will make it easier for recruiters to find and communicate with top prospects. The extra free time during December will also provide individuals with opportunities to update their social media content, their LinkedIn profiles, and their resumes, so that they are ready to begin a job search.
10. They will carry the mobile platform with them 24/7 — the mobile platform is always a powerful recruiting tool. However, it is even more so during the holiday season where people naturally answer calls and texts more often because they are expecting calls from family and friends. No one goes shopping without their mobile phone and many are much more likely to answer while they are traveling to the mall, when shopping, and when waiting in line. If prospects can’t view every aspect of your corporate job application site and apply directly from their mobile phone, you will be missing out on a great opportunity.
11. Back home travel provides a recruiting opportunity– the holiday season is a heavy travel season and many prospects will return home to visit their family. This visit may stir feelings about wanting to move home and to be closer to family. Smart recruiters will take this as an opportunity to recruit visitors while they’re in the area.
12. December is prime time for college recruiting– As a college professor, it is intriguing to me that few companies have realized that up to a third of college students graduate at the end of the fall semester. But few firms specifically target fall grads. In addition, during the winter break students have a great deal of free time and their minds are relatively unencumbered. As a result, college students are easy to contact and physically meet when they return home. Effective recruiting can also occur at popular college student gathering areas like ski resorts.
13. It’s a time that they are thinking about money– the holiday season means extensive shopping, travel, and Christmas party expenses. As a result, it is a time where many individuals think about money. If your organization pays significantly above the average, December and January provide you with an opportunity to attract those who are having money issues.
14. The holidays are ideal for employer brand building — many years ago, Cisco pioneered holiday employer brand building through gift-wrapping events staffed by its employees at the mall. The holiday season is obviously a great opportunity to show community involvement and that your employees care, while at the same time indirectly but powerfully building your employer brand image.
15. The economy will likely get a kick start with the fiscal cliff deal– the likely solving of the fiscal cliff budget problem will give a kick start to the economy in the U.S. Smart recruiting leaders will begin recruiting right before the deal is completed, in order to get the best talent before other firms begin to ramp up their recruiting and the competition.
16. December really is “the prime time” for recruiting retail and customer service– December is the very best month to recruit retail, customer-facing, and delivery employees. Since anyone who is any good in customer service is working during the December holiday period, there is literally no better time for recruiters and employees to identify the very best through their work. Provide employees with powerful referral cards to turn any positive interaction into a recruiting opportunity.
17. Not everyone celebrates the holiday– many countries don’t celebrate the same holidays. Even individuals from different religious groups within the U.S. don’t celebrate the same holidays. This means that in many situations, you should continue your normal recruiting approach and be aware of individual differences. Countries with warmer climates during December don’t always have the same intensity for this holiday.
18. New fiscal year budgets are coming open — because many business calendar years start January 1, managers will know their upcoming budget and headcount in early December. This provides an opportunity for recruiters to work with managers and to get a head start on soon to be open requisitions.
19. Blockers and screeners have let their guard down —although I’m not a supporter of cold calling, it’s easier to get through to key prospects during December when so many receptionist and “call-blocking” jobs are staffed with temporary fill-ins. In fact, the holiday spirit makes almost everyone more willing to accept calls that they wouldn’t even consider taking during normal frantic business periods.
20. An opportune time to plan and to improve the function — even if you decide not to ramp up your recruiting effort during December, the slack period is an ideal time to work on your strategic recruiting plan. It’s also a great time to review your year-end metrics and to implement process improvement efforts. In particular, you should focus your planning on taking advantage of the mobile platform, the LinkedIn platform, and developing predictive analytics that make it easier for recruiting to take identify and then take advantage of upcoming talent opportunities.

Final Thoughts

Most firms don’t recruit heavily during this period, so naturally it’s easy to for corporate leaders to follow the crowd and to also wind down their own recruiting efforts during December. Strategically, however, that would be a huge mistake and a missed opportunity.

The best time to recruit is when others are idle and when the candidates are most available and receptive, and December fits that description. Seize the opportunity and take advantage of the idleness of others by beginning your winter recruiting campaign today. Recruiting is a 12-month profession. And just think how many more of your recruiting goals that will be met if you have a full 12, rather than an 11 ½-month effort!

 

(Thank you Marvin for sharing this article...lots of good information!)

 

Free Compensation Webinars from PayScale.com

PayScale HR

      

PayScale HR Webinars Archive

All of our free webinars are led by PayScale's Principal Consultant, Stacey Carroll, CCP, SPHR.

Due to HRCI certification rules, we are unable to award re-certification credits for listening to archived webinars.

Communicating About Compensation with Leaders and Employees

Few HR topics generate more controversy and emotion among employees than compensation. So, when it comes to communicating compensation to your employees, it's best to tread safely around this touchy subject. One of the most daunting challenges that HR and business leaders face when it comes to communicating compensation issues is that there are just so many ways to get it wrong. In this presentation, Stacey Carroll, CCP, SPHR, addresses those challenges and explains how to approach these conversations with clarity.

View Communicating About Compensation webinar

Aligning Your Compensation Strategy with Business Priorities

Does your compensation philosophy support your company's business objectives? Can you demonstrate to senior leaders how your current strategy is affecting the company's bottom line? As an HR leader, you play a key role in your organization's success. It's crucial that you work with your company's executive leaders to develop a compensation strategy that supports company business objectives. Learn the basics for aligning compensation strategy with business priorities.

View Compensation Strategy webinar

How to Have Tough Conversations with Employees

Could you use advice about how to handle difficult conversations in the best way possible? Learn the best practices for discussing tough issues with your staff. In this hour, you learn to: establish the basic framework for hosting difficult discussions; apply the framework using four example scripts that address common workplace issues; and avoid a conversation backfire, with a list of communication tips and tricks.

View Tough Conversations webinar

Retain and Engage Your Top Talent on a Nonprofit Budget

Rewarding top performers on a tight budget is one of the biggest challenges for nonprofits. But there are ways to do it that won't break the bank. In this one-hour presentation, led by HR expert Stacey Carroll, CCP, SPHR, you learn how to define high performance and identify top performers; articulate reasons to upper management for spending more to retain top performers; and create a low-cost retention plan that can weather drops in funding.

View Nonprofit Talent Retention webinar

How to Play a Key Role in Compensation Budgeting

HR leaders should play a key role in the compensation budgeting process, but many get left out of the loop. With the right tools, they can be a credible and respected voice throughout the process. HR expert Frank A. Cania, SPHR details how you can: build an effective compensation matrix using performance analysis and internal pay ranges; use your matrix to create a fair, defendable budget; and communicate with others on the budgeting team, so you'll get what you need.

View Compensation Budgeting webinar

Should Your Organization Pay for Performance?

Paying for performance seems like a simple idea, but for HR leaders who want to adopt this model, the process is far more complex. If poorly executed, a pay-for-performance program can demotivate employees and waste time and money on an ineffective plan. HR expert Stacey Carroll, CCP, SPHR, teaches you to: define pay for performance, and understand how it can build upon standard yearly raises; evaluate whether pay for performance is right for your company; follow a provided to-do list for rolling out a pay-for-performance plan.

View Pay for Performance webinar

How to Perform Compensation Analytics

You've benchmarked compensation for your workforce, now what? In this informative webinar, HR expert Stacey Carroll, CCP, SPHR, introduces you to a systematic, proactive approach to compensation analysis. She teaches you how to review the health of your current pay plan, optimize the results of your salary benchmarking to suit company objectives, and shine a light on your trouble spots, such as internal pay inequity and employee retention issues.

View Compensation Analytics webinar

Developing Your Compensation Philosophy & Policy

Employee pay affects two key components of your business: employee retention and profits. Learn to create a compensation philosophy that supports your organization's mission, vision and values. Participants learn to: create an effective compensation philosophy; build a compensation policy to support your compensation program; and ensure that your compensation philosophy and policy work hand-in-hand.

View Compensation Philosophy & Policy webinar

A Fresh Tool for Your HR Toolbox

Whether you're starting or revisiting your company's compensation program, be more accurate and efficient in getting results. Think about the tools you use - could they be more specific to your needs or better organize your many job titles and salary ranges?

Learn how to quickly and cost-effectively define your competitive set, benchmark your unique positions against the market, and address individual pay inequities in your current pay structure.

View HR Toolkit webinar

Executive Pay 101: What You Need to Know

Executive pay is tricky. It needs to be competitively priced but also carefully controlled. Do you understand the history of executive pay and the key components of an executive compensation package?

View Executive Pay webinar

A Guide to Laying the Foundation for Your Compensation Strategy

A compensation strategy should support an organization's mission, vision and values. In this webinar, you learn how to create an integrated strategy and we also discuss how to sell this plan to your organization's management and decision-makers.

View Compensation Strategy webinar

Managing Human Capital During an Economic Downturn

HR can play a leadership role in crafting an organization's response to economic conditions. This session discusses a range of approaches that can be implemented in areas that include recruitment, compensation administration and employee development. Approaches focus both on immediate cost-saving strategies as well as long-term, focused policy changes.

View Human Capital webinar

Mission Impossible: Managing and Mitigating Internal Pay Issues

Be a leader in your industry and keep your company out of legal hot water by establishing a transparent and equitable compensation structure. Learn how to create a plan that is fair and reflects the experience and performance of your employees. This webinar discusses how you can uncover your current inequities and either document reasons for them or change them.

View Managing and Mitigating Internal Pay Issues webinar

High Impact Performance Management

Top talent drives results in an organization, and they can make or break your company. You can build a performance management program that rewards top talent appropriately, without spending money. HR expert Stacey Carroll, CCP, SPHR, helps you develop a rewards and retention program, including how to: identify the characteristics of top performers; recruit and retain top talent with rewards beyond just raises and bonuses; deal with non-performers in order to maintain a company culture of high performance.

View Performance Management webinar

HR Planning: HR's Role in Strategic Workforce Planning for 2009 and Beyond

HR planning is a critical part of overall organizational strategic planning. This session provides HR leaders with a workforce planning how-to guide – starting with a review of the basics. Those basics then provide the foundation to discuss more advanced workforce planning activities. These approaches help increase HR's strategic value within the organization and your role as a company leader.

View Workforce Planning 2009 and Beyond webinar

How to Perform Compensation Benchmarking and
Set Salary Ranges

Setting salary ranges is tricky business - if it's not done right, it can deter your organization's ability to attract top talent or may cause you to overpay employees in the long term. So, how do you set up-to-date, competitive salary ranges? This webinar details an efficient, cost-effective and accurate way to establish salary ranges in your organization.

View Compensation Benchmarking webinar

HR Leadership in Difficult Times: Implementing RIFs, Reorganizations and Freezes

Tight economic times put pressure on company management and HR leaders to consider restructuring their business and let some non-essential employees go. How can these hard decisions be made strategically, keeping long-term growth in mind? Webinar participants learn ways to review staff, make decisions and communicate changes, as well as receive a "to-do" list with best practices for managing their organizations through RIFs, reorganizations and freezes.

View RIFs, Reorganizations and Freezes webinar

Communicating About Compensation with Leaders and Employees

Few HR topics generate more controversy and emotion among employees than compensation. So, when it comes to communicating compensation to your employees, it's best to tread safely around this touchy subject. One of the most daunting challenges that HR and business leaders face when it comes to communicating compensation issues is that there are just so many ways to get it wrong. In this presentation, Stacey Carroll, CCP, SPHR, addresses those challenges and explains how to approach these conversations with clarity.

View Communicating About Compensation webinar

Aligning Your Compensation Strategy with Business Priorities

Does your compensation philosophy support your company's business objectives? Can you demonstrate to senior leaders how your current strategy is affecting the company's bottom line? As an HR leader, you play a key role in your organization's success. It's crucial that you work with your company's executive leaders to develop a compensation strategy that supports company business objectives. Learn the basics for aligning compensation strategy with business priorities.

View Compensation Strategy webinar

How to Have Tough Conversations with Employees

Could you use advice about how to handle difficult conversations in the best way possible? Learn the best practices for discussing tough issues with your staff. In this hour, you learn to: establish the basic framework for hosting difficult discussions; apply the framework using four example scripts that address common workplace issues; and avoid a conversation backfire, with a list of communication tips and tricks.

View Tough Conversations webinar

Retain and Engage Your Top Talent on a Nonprofit Budget

Rewarding top performers on a tight budget is one of the biggest challenges for nonprofits. But there are ways to do it that won't break the bank. In this one-hour presentation, led by HR expert Stacey Carroll, CCP, SPHR, you learn how to define high performance and identify top performers; articulate reasons to upper management for spending more to retain top performers; and create a low-cost retention plan that can weather drops in funding.

View Nonprofit Talent Retention webinar

How to Play a Key Role in Compensation Budgeting

HR leaders should play a key role in the compensation budgeting process, but many get left out of the loop. With the right tools, they can be a credible and respected voice throughout the process. HR expert Frank A. Cania, SPHR details how you can: build an effective compensation matrix using performance analysis and internal pay ranges; use your matrix to create a fair, defendable budget; and communicate with others on the budgeting team, so you'll get what you need.

View Compensation Budgeting webinar

Should Your Organization Pay for Performance?

Paying for performance seems like a simple idea, but for HR leaders who want to adopt this model, the process is far more complex. If poorly executed, a pay-for-performance program can demotivate employees and waste time and money on an ineffective plan. HR expert Stacey Carroll, CCP, SPHR, teaches you to: define pay for performance, and understand how it can build upon standard yearly raises; evaluate whether pay for performance is right for your company; follow a provided to-do list for rolling out a pay-for-performance plan.

View Pay for Performance webinar

How to Perform Compensation Analytics

You've benchmarked compensation for your workforce, now what? In this informative webinar, HR expert Stacey Carroll, CCP, SPHR, introduces you to a systematic, proactive approach to compensation analysis. She teaches you how to review the health of your current pay plan, optimize the results of your salary benchmarking to suit company objectives, and shine a light on your trouble spots, such as internal pay inequity and employee retention issues.

View Compensation Analytics webinar

Developing Your Compensation Philosophy & Policy

Employee pay affects two key components of your business: employee retention and profits. Learn to create a compensation philosophy that supports your organization's mission, vision and values. Participants learn to: create an effective compensation philosophy; build a compensation policy to support your compensation program; and ensure that your compensation philosophy and policy work hand-in-hand.

View Compensation Philosophy & Policy webinar

A Fresh Tool for Your HR Toolbox

Whether you're starting or revisiting your company's compensation program, be more accurate and efficient in getting results. Think about the tools you use - could they be more specific to your needs or better organize your many job titles and salary ranges?

Learn how to quickly and cost-effectively define your competitive set, benchmark your unique positions against the market, and address individual pay inequities in your current pay structure.

View HR Toolkit webinar

Executive Pay 101: What You Need to Know

Executive pay is tricky. It needs to be competitively priced but also carefully controlled. Do you understand the history of executive pay and the key components of an executive compensation package?

View Executive Pay webinar

A Guide to Laying the Foundation for Your Compensation Strategy

A compensation strategy should support an organization's mission, vision and values. In this webinar, you learn how to create an integrated strategy and we also discuss how to sell this plan to your organization's management and decision-makers.

View Compensation Strategy webinar

Managing Human Capital During an Economic Downturn

HR can play a leadership role in crafting an organization's response to economic conditions. This session discusses a range of approaches that can be implemented in areas that include recruitment, compensation administration and employee development. Approaches focus both on immediate cost-saving strategies as well as long-term, focused policy changes.

View Human Capital webinar

Mission Impossible: Managing and Mitigating Internal Pay Issues

Be a leader in your industry and keep your company out of legal hot water by establishing a transparent and equitable compensation structure. Learn how to create a plan that is fair and reflects the experience and performance of your employees. This webinar discusses how you can uncover your current inequities and either document reasons for them or change them.

View Managing and Mitigating Internal Pay Issues webinar

High Impact Performance Management

Top talent drives results in an organization, and they can make or break your company. You can build a performance management program that rewards top talent appropriately, without spending money. HR expert Stacey Carroll, CCP, SPHR, helps you develop a rewards and retention program, including how to: identify the characteristics of top performers; recruit and retain top talent with rewards beyond just raises and bonuses; deal with non-performers in order to maintain a company culture of high performance.

View Performance Management webinar

HR Planning: HR's Role in Strategic Workforce Planning for 2009 and Beyond

HR planning is a critical part of overall organizational strategic planning. This session provides HR leaders with a workforce planning how-to guide – starting with a review of the basics. Those basics then provide the foundation to discuss more advanced workforce planning activities. These approaches help increase HR's strategic value within the organization and your role as a company leader.

View Workforce Planning 2009 and Beyond webinar

How to Perform Compensation Benchmarking and
Set Salary Ranges

Setting salary ranges is tricky business - if it's not done right, it can deter your organization's ability to attract top talent or may cause you to overpay employees in the long term. So, how do you set up-to-date, competitive salary ranges? This webinar details an efficient, cost-effective and accurate way to establish salary ranges in your organization.

View Compensation Benchmarking webinar

HR Leadership in Difficult Times: Implementing RIFs, Reorganizations and Freezes

Tight economic times put pressure on company management and HR leaders to consider restructuring their business and let some non-essential employees go. How can these hard decisions be made strategically, keeping long-term growth in mind? Webinar participants learn ways to review staff, make decisions and communicate changes, as well as receive a "to-do" list with best practices for managing their organizations through RIFs, reorganizations and freezes.

View RIFs, Reorganizations and Freezes webinar