Seeing the Opportunity in a Crisis

Seeing the Opportunity in a Crisis Seeing the Opportunity in a Crisis Six years ago I was laid off. Actually, as the VP of HR, I laid myself off but thats semantics. The end result was that I didnt have a job.At first I did the usual. I sent my resume to headhunters, contacted my network, and applied to a few posted positions. But this time my heart wasnt in it. This was the third time in 5 years that I had lost my job through no fault of my own. The first time, my employer shut down its US office. Then my next employer moved from New York City to San Diego less than a year after I joined them. I didnt want to move so I found myself looking again. Now my new company was sliding towards bankruptcy and once again I was on the market. It was especially hard to take for me because I had stayed with my first employer for 13 years Now it seemed I couldnt even get my feet under the desk before it was time to move on.And thats when I decided to stop looking for a job and make my own. I was t ired of being at other peoples mercy. At least if I was going to fail, I wanted it to be my fault. And if I was going to make my own job, it had to be something I really enjoyed and something I knew I would be good at. Thats how I settled on resume writing I love writing, I have always been good at strategizing, and as a former HR exec, I knew exactly what made a resume work. And so Blue Sky Resumes was born and I left the corporate world behind me forever.Jason Alba has a similar story. After being laid off in 2006, Jason started to look for another job in IT and geschftlicher umgang strategy. Finding that he needed a place to organize his job search information, he developed his own database. Then, as he learned the importance of networking, he expanded the system so that it also stored his networking contact information. From that purely practical starting point, Jason wound up developing and marketing Jibber Jobber, a full job search and relationship management system. Like me, hes also gone on to write books and he frequently speaks about job search and networking at conferences and events across the country.I havent asked Jason, but I bet hes glad that lay-off happened. I certainly am.Thats not to say that the entrepreneurial life is for everyone you may hate the idea of starting your own business. Its just to say that there are often other options. Ive know people who have made complete career changes after being laid off. Ive known others who have decided to take a step down the corporate ladder. One person went to work for a non-profit. Another moved across the country and started again. Hearing that you are about to lose your job is terribly upsetting especially in this economy but theres no doubt that sometimes a layoff can actually be an opportunity.How about you? Has bad news ever turned out to be a good thing for you? If so, tell us in the comments. I know other readers going through worrying times would appreciate hearing your story.

How video can help humanize your recruiting

How video can help humanize your recruitingHow video can help humanize your recruitingHow video can help humanize your recruitingHeres something you know all too well To reel in top talent, you need to not just capture their attentionyouve got todazzle them. And these days, dazzling means a lot more than just bulleted job descriptions.One powerful way to do this is by using video to enhance your companys job postings, employer branding and recruitment efforts.Video lets recruitersshow, as well as tell, which is one way tocapture the hearts and minds of top candidates. And according to 2019 State of the Candidate Survey, 80% of Americans agree that a video of a recruitertalking about a role as part of a job ad would help them better understand a job opportunity.Video content is a part of how we take in information today, says Meghan M. Biro, founder of TalentCulture, a workplace culture and HR strategy group. Not having videos just decreases a companys potential appeal and ability to grab its audiencein this case, potential applicants.Consider this A recent survey from Statista found that 85% of U.S. Internet users watch video across devices, and job seekers are no exception. Millennials and generation Z job seekers are particularly receptive to videos, says Kevin Grossman, president of the Talent Board, a non-profit focused on promoting quality candidate experiences.In addition, video software company Wistia recently saw a 2.6x increase in time spent on Web pages with video than without. Visitors spent, on average, 7 minutes and 21 seconds on pages with video, compared to only 2 minutes and 48 seconds on pages without video.But its more than about getting more eyeballs on your career site or job description. The real benefit of video is that it brings your job, your company and its people to life.This helps candidates make better decisions about whether your position is the right fit for them, helping them to self-select. And that means more time for you to do what you do best hire great talent.Before you take the next step and add video to your recruitment strategy, consider these best practices to help put your companys best foot forwardKeep it briefYes, you want your videos to feel real and relatable, but keep your audience engaged, your videos must be concise. Grossman says 1 to 3 minutes is ideal. Its short, but people have short attention spans, he points out. If its longer than 5 minutes, youre probably going to lose your audience.As Biro puts it, No one wants to sit through the equivalent of a Drivers Ed video when theyre racing through job portals or squeezing a job search into a busy day.Keep it realAuthenticity is key, particularly in todays zeitgeist, where a lack of authenticity is a big strike against your company, says Bruce Tulgan, author of Its Okay to Manage Your Boss The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work.Your videos have to be on-brand, and they must accurately reflect your companys mission and core values.Grossman says companies should not use actors to portray employees, nor should you aim to create something polished or corporate feeling. Thats the opposite if what candidates want to see.Biro agreesAuthentic means you dont have an outside director who doesnt know your company at all come in and create a video that has nothing to do with your company, she says. Authentic means also showing the people who work theretheir personalities, their work behaviorsand letting them speak.Dont slick it up and make it look like a packaged mythological version of your organization, Biro adds. Show the real office, try to show aspects of the real culture, and truly convey what your organization feels like, looks like, and works like.Keep it shiny, but not too shinyWant the good news about video? You dont need a lot of expensive equipment to create great video content, says HR consultant Tim Sackett. Some of the best employment videos on the planet are done on an iPhone, he says.In fact, Studios, Monsterssoon-to-be-released app that lets recruiters record, edit and post videos post job descriptions, uses an iPhone. No fancy camera needed.Hackett does suggest investing in a professional lighting and sound system for your companys videos.The magic of great video isnt necessarily a better camera, but great lighting and clear sound, he explains. After all, you want candidates to clearly see and hear the homilie youre trying to convey.Keep it actionableVideo isnt just another shiny new object, just there as a branding tool on your career site. To make your videos most effective, youll want to make sure that your story and/or script follows this tried-and-true formulaFirst, start with a hook, something compelling that makes the viewer want to see more. Maybe its an unexpected question, maybe a little-known fact about your company or the job, maybe its just something lighthearted and fun that shows that recruiters are people too.Next, be sure to include the Whats in it for me? section. This is where you outline the details of whatever youre trying to convey. This is the meat of your video. It could be the details of a particular job description, or it might share highlights of the workplace culture you want viewers to appreciate.And finally, you always need a CTA. Tell your viewer to do something after theyve watched. Maybe you want them to check out the open jobs on your site. Maybe youd like them to submit a resume or contact a specific recruiter. After all, as funny or beautifully shot as your video is, what you really want is to get people to act.

The Essentials of Copyright Laws

The Essentials of Copyright LawsThe Essentials of Copyright LawsHow do copyrights work? Its always better to simply give leistungspunkt to an author any time you use someone elses work, even if you are bedrngnis required to.This may not only help protect you legally from being sued for copyright infringement, but it shows youre a professional who practices good business ethics. The De Minimis Principle Applied to Copyrights The de minimis principle is the legal term that describes issues that may seem big to an individual but arent, necessarily, under the law.Essentially, it means Some things are just too small to be bothered with. This principle applies to many areas of law, including copyrights. Whether or not something is specifically subject to de minimis interpretation is entirely up to a court of law, so its important to talk to an attorney before heading off to court. Copyrights May Not Protect Little Things While it can be said, the little things in life matter, this isnt always true when it comes to copyrightlaws. Examples of things that may be too small to warrant copyright protections include Newspaper or magazine headlinesThe title of a book, poem, or songUsing small quotes from a material that has copyright (but you still have to give credit to the author)Minor changes to quoted material, such as correcting a typographical error, wouldnt be considered a significant copyright infringement Ringtones Created From CDs and CopyrightInfringement Ringtones created from CDs or other published sources of music are not copyrightinfringement if the person who creates them only uses them for their own phone and in no way publishes, promotes, or benefits financially from the created ringtone.However, if you seek to share, promote, or profit in any way from the ringtone you created without permission, its an act of copyright infringement. While laws could change, for now, creating a ringtone from a song for personal use is no different in legal signi ficance than quoting a sentence from a published source, and its permissible under the Fair Use Act. The Poor Mans Copyright Some people still believe that simply mailing yourself a sealed envelope showing proof that you created work is sufficient to protect your rights to your own works. This practice is often referred to as the poor mans copyright. Its anything but reliable, and it may or may not offer evidence in a court of law should legal action result from your claim to ownership. The United States Postal Service (USPS) neither requires nor checks to see if an envelope is sealed before its mailed. Because envelopes can be tampered with and documents can be exchanged, self-sealed mailings shouldnt be relied on as solid legal evidence of your copyrights to any gestalt of expression. The USPS doesnt condone self-addressed mail as proof of ownership, and it clearly warns consumers not to use registered or certified mail. If you have something really important to you, of potent ial or significant value, its well worth the time and money to protect your interests through formal copyright registration. There are also online resources where you can upload digital images of material to show proof of the creation date. Youre then sent email verification with a return copy of your digital image. However, only formal registrationcan offer you certain legal remedies. If you havent registered copyright, you cant even sue someone for copyright infringement in the United States. And, if you didnt register your copyright in a timely manner (90 days or less), your right to recover damages in court will be severely limited. You can register a copyright online for $35. Paper applications cost $45 to file. Simply Repeating Copyrights Doesnt Satisfy the Law There are many ways you can show something you created has been copyrighted because how you show your work has copyright is more a matter of preference than U.S. law. Sometimes, authors also use the words All Rights Reserved, or All Intellectual Rights Reserved. Neither is really necessary, as copyright already indicates that your rights are protected. However, an author is not even required to show copyrightin order to be able to assert their rights.For example, a signature on a painting is sufficient for the painter to claim rights the painter does not need to add anything further about copyrights to the painting itself.Music is similar, in that the songs you hear on the radio dont have disclaimers read out loud each time a new song is played. However, many authors do allow you to freely use their works without specific permission.Some dont care and state that anyone can do anything without giving credit, but some require you to show their copyright in a certain format as a condition of use. When using material from someone else, its very important you honor the authors request as to how they want credit shown.If you dont accurately comply with the instructions, and the use is authorized onl y if you give credit in a very particular way, you could still be violating someone elses copyrights.