Pokemon Search
The other
night, I watched a couple of kids sort through their
Pokemon Cards. They were hunting
through thousands of cards to find a specific X level card (a Torterra
Level X with very amazing powers). The way that they approached the
search was very interesting.(Pokemon
cards are like baseball cards. Pokemon is a Japanese phenomenon that
includes hundreds of uniquely identifiable characters. Most American
children are introduced to Pokemon through GameBoy. It started out as a
card game and then became a full media franchise with video, electronic
games, websites, music and newsletters.)
(More.)
Reveille and Hyperbole:
Sendouts announced that the latest release of Sendouts Pro, the #1 on-demand recruiting and staffing software, now includes a complete, integrated time and attendance solution. The new functionality available in Sendouts Pro 6.0 is made possible through a partnership with StaffMetric, the industry's leading online staffing-specific time and attendance Web-based service. The seamless integration automates the process of transferring Sendouts' front-office data through StaffMetric's online timesheets; and then populating any leading back-office application.
Minnesota-based TempWorks Software announced that it will unveil its new Enterprise staffing software at the Staffing World 2007 Conference & Expo next week. Enterprise is a user-friendly software product that efficiently places the best temporary employees in optimum work situations. "From day one, our goal was to develop an application that was extremely simple for users," explains TempWorks Chief Technology Officer, Paul Czywczynski. "We wanted something that people could quickly jump into and be productive with."
Buck Consultants, an ACS company and one of the world's leading human resource and benefits consulting firms, announced that it has been selected by the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) to continue providing retirement plan services for its defined benefit pension plans. Buck has been providing consulting services to Nebraska PERS since 1998.
Comings and Goings:
HRchitect, the premier HCM systems strategic planning consulting firm, announced the appointment of industry veteran Ron Hanscome as Vice President of HCM Technology Strategy Consulting.
Robert Neufeld has joined Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP as the firm's first Chief Talent Officer (CTO), based in the Los Angeles office. As CTO, Neufeld leads all of the functions that affect the associate lifecycle: recruiting, performance and development, diversity and inclusion, and direct practice group support. He was most recently Director of Talent Management at Blank Rome LLP in New York.
Upcoming Events:
International contingent workforce management company Albany will be a featured sponsor and event host of the 2007 Contingent Workforce Strategies (CWS) Summit, to be held October 23-24 at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas.
Survey Says:
DDI/Monster study reveals frequent miscommunication between seekers and hiring managers
http://intelligence.monster.com/12338_en-US_p1.asp
Two-thirds of job seekers report that the interviewer influences their decision to accept a position, according to a study released by Development Dimensions International (DDI) a global human resource consulting firm, and Monster®, the leading global online careers and recruitment resource and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc., which surveyed nearly 6,000 staffing directors, hiring managers and job seekers.
"An interview can quickly escalate from being a ‘meeting of the minds' to a ‘clash of personalities' if both parties are not prepared and respectful of one another," Scott Erker, DDI's senior vice president of selection solutions, said. "Interviewers sit inches from the candidate, but there's a wide gap between what they think candidates are looking for and what would actually motivate interviewees to become employees."
"The interview is not only a crucial assessment touch point in the recruiting process, it's an important marketing and branding opportunity," said Neal Bruce, vice president of alliances, Monster. "Amidst today's war for talent, successful interviewers will quickly determine the marketing messages that resonate with each individual candidate and reinforce those messages."
The Selection Forecast 2006-2007 is DDI's third study of hiring and recruiting practices since 1999, providing perspective on the changing shape of the hiring market over the last eight years. Survey respondents included 628 staffing directors, 1,250 hiring managers and 3,725 job seekers who revealed that despite the fact that companies are increasingly desperate for talent, many are becoming their own worst obstacles when interviewing qualified candidates. Other significant findings from the research include:
70 Percent of Job Seekers Say Aloof is Annoying.
Job seekers identify a number of interviewer behaviors that adversely affect their willingness to work at the company in question. For instance, 70% of interviewees rank "acting like has no time to talk to me" as a common – and annoying– behavior of hiring managers and staffing directors. Other irritating behaviors exhibited by interviewers include:
- Withholding information about position (57%)
- Turning interview into cross-examination (51%)
- Showing up late (48%)
- Appearing unprepared for interview (47%)
- Asking questions unrelated to job skills (43%)
No One Understands Me.
Staffing directors and hiring managers often struggle to identify what job seekers want in a new job and misunderstand the elements that are most important to potential employees. For example, 67% of job seekers identify a "compatible work group/team" as a significant factor in their job hunt, but only 37% of staffing directors ascribe a similar importance to this aspect. While job seekers rank the need for "a good boss/manager" (75%) and "an organization you can be proud to work for" (74%) among the top most important elements of a new job, these are underrated by employers.
Employees Are Not Always Who They Say They Are.
Another gap exists between employees and employers in assessing whether or not job seekers misrepresent themselves when interviewing for a position. While 58% of hiring managers say that job seekers misrepresent their experience on a resume or during the interview, only 5% of potential employees admit to doing so. This trend carries throughout…while 31% of hiring managers claim job seekers misrepresent their education, only 3% of potential employees agree. And though only 15% of job seekers admit to using a personal, non-work friend as a reference, 40% of hiring managers say they do.
New Employees May Still Be Job Hunters.
Job seekers are cavalier about staying with an organization, and are driven by the mantra that if one job doesn't work out, another one will – 52% have had between two and three jobs over the last five years. Nearly one-third of the job seekers surveyed had only been in their current job for six months or less, but were already in the market for a new one – using their existing position as a placeholder job until something better comes along.
Was It Something I Said?
Employees rank "insufficient compensation, benefits, rewards and recognition" as their top reason for leaving their job, while hiring managers and staffing directors rank this third. Furthermore, while hiring managers and staffing directors rank "external factors (e.g., spouse moves, going back to school)" number-one and two respectively, job seekers rank it tenth, tied with "job changed focus or scope over time."
"Employers often don't know what motivates their employees to accept jobs or what drives them to look for a new one and leave," said Erker. "The war for talent hinges on employers closing the gap between their perceptions and employee realities."
About DDI
Founded in 1970, Development Dimensions International, a global human resources consulting firm, helps organizations close the gap between today's talent capability and future talent needs. DDI's expertise includes designing and implementing selection systems, and identifying and developing front-line to executive leadership talent. With more than 1,000 associates in 75 offices in 26 countries, the firm advises half of the Fortune 500. For more information visit http://www.ddiworld.com/aboutddi.
Development Dimensions International
412-257-3862
www.ddiworld.com
National Survey Says:
New National Survey: Nearly One fifth of US Workers Say They are Aware of a Threat or Verbal Intimidation and 11% of an Assault or Violent Act at Work But Fewer than Half Say their Workplace Offers Workplace Violence Training
13th Annual "Attitudes in the American Workplace" poll conducted by Harris Interactive for The Marlin Company.
Nearly one-fifth (19%) of U.S workers are aware of a threat or verbal intimidation by someone in their workplace and 11% are aware of an assault or violent act, yet fewer than half of U.S employees (43%) say that their employers offer training on workplace violence, according to a new national survey. In addition, 28% of U.S employees report they have been so stressed at work in the last year that they have yelled or screamed on the job, and 20% have been driven to tears.
The yearly survey of 752 US workers was conducted in May and June 2007 by Harris Interactive® for The Marlin Company, The Workplace Communication Experts™.
Despite the relatively low percentage of employees stating their companies offer workplace violence training, the numbers are up over previous years. In 2000, according to The Marlin Company's workplace poll conducted by the Gallup Organization, just a quarter (25%) of employees surveyed said their companies offered this training. Percentages of employees this year indicating their awareness of assaults or violent acts at work (9% in 2000,11% in 2007) or their awareness of a threat or verbal intimidation (18% in 2000, 19% in 2007), are about the same as they were in 2000.
"Stress in the workplace can be a silent killer undermining businesses," said Frank Kenna III, president of The Marlin Company. "Companies believe everything is fine until a stressed, out-of-control worker runs rampant. Rather than wait until a deadly outbreak takes place, companies need to help workers manage stress. With the increase of workplace violence training, we're beginning to see workers become more aware of warning signs, as well as actual threats and attacks. We have an opportunity through training to help many more workers become tuned in to these warning signs."
Employees (66%) within larger companies (1000+ employees) are more likely to say their employer provides training than those (35%) within companies with fewer employees (1-100).
The survey also found gender and generational differences in workers' dealing with stress. Thirty six percent of women cried on the job in the last year because of stress, compared to 5% of men. Men were more likely to throw an object or strike something to deal with stress (14%) than women (6%). Additionally, those aged 18-34 were more likely to cry on the job (27%) than those 35-49 (16%) or 50+ (15%).
"Younger workers have yet to develop a 'thick skin', leaving them more vulnerable than their more seasoned co-workers," aid Mr. Kenna. "They are also more likely to be in lower-level jobs, leaving them open to more negative feedback from superiors. Companies need to provide better stress management training to these younger workers, or provide mentors that can help them better navigate the office workplace trenches."
The survey has a sampling error for the overall results of plus or minus 4 percentage points. For further detail on the results and supporting data, please see marlinresults.
About the 2007 Survey
This "Attitudes in the American Workplace" study was conducted by telephone within the (United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of The Marlin Company between May 21 and June 14, 2007 among 752 U.S. adults ages 18 or older who are employed full or part-time. Results were weighted for age, race/ethnicity, education, income, and region where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Harris Interactive was not responsible for the data collection or results of the 2000 study.
About the 2000 Study
The 2000 study was conducted by telephone by the Gallup Organization June 2 through June 25, 2000. The sample consisted of 754 American workers, 18 or older, employed full or part-time. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.
About The Marlin Company
For more than 90 years, The Marlin Company has been the Workplace Communication Experts™, helping companies improve employee morale, productivity and performance through the innovative use of workplace posters and electronic message boards.
Its corporate posters and electronic display systems, which contain content customized by industry, are helping companies of all sizes address workplace issues, such as safety, stress management, health/wellness, communication with employees and dozens of other topics involving workplace morale and customer service. Through its many years of experience, The Marlin Company has developed a strong database of, and experience in, issues affecting the workplace. It routinely surveys thousands of clients to determine their current issues, works with industry experts across North America, and conducts national polling. Since 1995, it has conducted its annual "Attitudes in the American Workplace" Labor Day poll. In the early years, the Gallup Organization conducted the polling. Harris Interactive has done so since 2001. For more information, please see www.themarlincompany.com.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and one of the fastest-growing market research firms in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its North American, European and Asian offices, and through a global network of independent market research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com. To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at www.harrispollonline.com.
|
Home
