WEB 2.0 AND RECRUITING

The O'Bama administration recently passed a bill, otherwise known as the economic stimulus package, which offers tremendous opportunities for trainers. Click the link below for a summary of this law and it's impact on training.

http://www.astd.org/NR/rdonlyres/BBA60336-2D0C-407A-BF42-20F3CCBCE9F5/0/Stimuluscommunicationfinal.pdf

With a little effort and the support of a local college you could submit a proposal to offer some of the training and could possibly land a nice training grant. I was able to get close to a $50,000 training grant several years ago through the Workforce Investment Act. Now is the time. Lots of money is out there for the taking!

As an HR Manager I've interviewed and hired over 5,000 people. I've conducted interviews at college campuses in a number of states - Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, California, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, New York, and South Carolina. And, I've never had an applicant send me a link to their professional electronic portfolio (e-port). Not one. Does that mean they are not helpful? Absolutly not. Maybe they are more prevelant in certain environments, such as education, but that doesn't mean you should ignore this important tool.

If you have an e-port or can develop one you are in a much better position than the other applicants you compete against. Think about it. If I interview 10 applicants for a position and only one has an an e-port, that person has a distinct advantage. A well done e-port can make your work history, knowledge, skills and abilities come alive.

Before you advertise your e-port make sure you get several people to review it and give you honest feedback. You need someone more like American Idol's Simon Cowell instead of someone like Paula Abdule to give you feedback. Paula might say nice things and make you feel good, but will that feedback make your e-port better?

A well done e-port can be a great tool in your job search. If you want me to give you feedback on your e-port send me the link. Good luck in your job search.

Benefits Brief:

We all want better health care and would do almost anything to get better if we, are one of our family members, were seriously ill. So, will the O'Bama administration implement a better healthcare system than we currently have? If he does, who will pay - Corporate America, doctors, insurance companies, us. Nothing is free.

Are we moving toward socialized medicine? While I think we need changes, I'm not convinced that socialized medicine is the answer. I've traveled to Canada and talked about health care with local residents. It is not uncommon for Canadians to come to the USA for treatment because it can take months to get the appropriate care they need in Canada. Think about that. You have cancer and need treatment now. Are you going to wait 3 months to get into a doctor's office? While it may be free or inexpensive to receive health care in Canada what good is it if you can't get the care you need when you need it?