5 Highly Creative Talent Attraction Campaigns

5 Highly Creative Talent Attraction Campaigns This article is  sponsored  by  Sage UK, a service and software provider to over 830,000 businesses  in the UK. You’ll often read about how hard it is for job seekers to land their dream role, but when you’re the company on the hunt for top talent, the landscape is equally as competitive. When faced with the daunting task of recruiting a top  level candidate, it’s hard enough identifying the front runners, let alone convincing them to jump ship and join your team. After all, post recession has meant that the cream of the so called “Generation Y” crop are more likely to be happily employed, than relentlessly browsing online job boards. So, how does one successfully pursue these ad-immune, tech savvy, social media driven Millennials? Well, here are 5 creative examples of companies that got it right: IKEA: ‘Career Instructions’: In an attempt to recruit a large number of workers for their new megastore in Australia, IKEA amusingly decided to include what they called ‘Career Instructions’ into each of their flat packs. Based on their traditional furniture instructions, all customers took home the witty application forms without realising. The clever initiative not only minimised the costs on advertising, but it also ensured IKEA fans were targeted. And boy did it work! The campaign brought in 4,285 job applicants, resulting in 280 new hires for their megastore. Sage: Google Business View: Whilst job descriptions are designed to give candidates a feel for the firm, it’s hard to tell exactly what a company is like from a piece of paper. Alert to this issue, Sage â€" the business software providers â€" decided to show applicants just how great their offices are. Pioneering Google’s ‘Business View’ â€" the virtual tour technology used in Street View the company easily dispelled any misconceptions that they might be a boring white-collar organisation. In fact, when clicking through their magnificent office, potential candidates would be hard pushed to find an employee in a suit. The recruitment team at Sage believe that the Business View will help portray the company as a great place to work and the tour will be sent out to new starters at Sage so they can get acquainted with the offices before before their first day. Tori Newcombe, Digital Content Manager at Sage explained: “we’re incredibly proud of our workspace at Sage. Putting our headquarters on Google Maps gives us a unique ability to virtually open our doors and show off our working environment and culture, it’s promising to be a fantastic tool for recruitment.”   View Larger MapTo encourage people to explore the building, the Sage team have hidden eight items around the offices and are running an online ‘treasure hunt’ competition to win a luxury weekend for two in Newcastle. ‘My Marriott Hotel’: Gamification The Marriott Hotel also decided to allow potential applicants into their workplace, but this time in an animated “gamified” fashion. ‘My Marriott Hotel’ gave players a taster of what it was like to work in their hotel restaurants and kitchens, asking users to purchase various supplies on a budget, and manage multiple employees. Marriott later moved the game onto Facebook with the intention of targeting young talent in countries such as China and India where they were struggling to recruit staff. Regarded as a huge success, the campaign not only helped bring in vital employees, but it was also seen to raise awareness of the brand on a global scale. FP7: ‘The Hidden Phone’ Ad Agency, FP7, decided to avoid headhunter fees when looking to bring in top level creative talent to their Dubai office. Having identified and researched their prime targets, FP7 shipped each candidate industry stylised books with a mobile phone hidden inside. Each book was highly personalised to align with the interests of the receiver, and the phones were preprogrammed with the number of FP7’s executive creative director. Although the initiative cost $80,000, being fun and creative with advertising creatives clearly pays off. The campaign saw the firm bring in four key employees, including an art director and a design chief. Google: Cryptic Billboard Back in 2004, an anonymous billboard appeared by the highway that links San Francisco to Silicon Valley. The message simply read: “{first 10-digit prime found in consecutive digits of e} .com”. The clever ad was designed to attract only those smart enough and inquisitive enough to figure out the correct answer of 7427466391.com. And whilst this may have been a tough mental test, it was perhaps slightly easier to guess who was behind this geeky quiz. Yep you got it… Google of course! In fact the tech super company were so determined to filter out the very best problem solvers, that they even created a further riddle once applicants had punched in the correct website. It was not until this second puzzle was solved that the geeky adventures could submit their CVs for the highly sought after engineering roles. By running a creative recruitment campaign or taking advantage of new digital tools these companies were able not only to attract more of the sort of people they wanted to recruit, but they also managed to show off their company as a forward thinking, ambitious employer that the top talent would want to work for. Author:  This article was written by the online content team at Sage UK.

Got A Love Of History Heres How You Can Turn It Into A Side Hustle!

Got A Love Of History Heres How You Can Turn It Into A Side Hustle! Passionate about all things history? Maybe you are fascinated by the drama-filled Tudor period, or perhaps youre a big fan of the roaring 20s. Delving into the past can be incredibly interesting.  And we can learn a lot about the way we now live by looking at the lives of our ancestors. If you spend a lot of time researching and learning about history as a hobby, why not try turning it into your side hustle? The key factor in acing your side hustle is that it has to be something that you truly enjoy. This way, it even has the potential to be your full-time career. If youre a history buff, heres how you could make your love of the past into a legitimate side hustle. Write a book Unleash your creative flow by writing a book about a period in time you are passionate about. If youre academically minded, you may want to write a factual book about the ins and outs of a certain time. This could also be a good way to put your history degree to good use! Research what is already on the market and what kind of factual novel would appeal to the current buyer. Or, you may want to delve into the world of history fiction. Everything from Ancient Egypt to the racy world of the British monarchy can provide a great backdrop for a gripping fictional novel. Jot down some ideas and see where your imagination takes you! Start dealing antiques and collectibles If theres anything that can bring you closer to long-forgotten eras, its having an item specifically from that time period. If you are thinking of running a dealership on the side of your current job, make sure you are educated in what is actually valuable. It makes sense to have a good mix of both low, mid and high range items.  But you dont want to sell a vintage chair for $50 only to find out it was worth $500! You also might be surprised at the kinds of collectibles which are popular. Banknotes are a popular item that people collect and they are rated based on their age, rarity and condition. If you come across some Zimbabwe Currency that is in mint condition, it could be worth a lot for someone who is building up their collection. Give history walks Enthusiastic and great with people? Providing engaging history walks could be the perfect side hustle for you! If you live somewhere thats steeped in its own local history and there is a market for it, it can be a great way to make some extra money.  And helps you get out the house too! Spend some time researching what happened and where, so that you are fully clued up for any questions that you may get asked. You can charge for your walk, or you can rely purely on tips. This may seem like a risky move to make.    But if you live somewhere that attracts a lot of tourists, you can be sure that your tips will be plentiful. Image Credits. Main.  Writing.   Currency.     Guide.

How to Prevent a Cyber Attack at Work

How to Prevent a Cyber Attack at Work It seems like theres news of a cyber attack every day. From retailers to credit reporting bureaus and even identity theft monitoring companies, no company appears to be immune from cyber attacks devastating financial and brand impact.  Is your company ready for a cyber attack? A data report by Verizon indicates that the most common types of cyber attacks involve stolen and/or weak passwords and malicious email attachments. Despite these alarming statistics, a PwC report revealed that nearly half of all corporate executives admitted they do not have an employee awareness training program for cybersecurity. The changing landscape of cyber-hacking means cyber attackers are becoming more sophisticated than ever before.  It is therefore essential to determine potential threats to your companys data security and ensure that your company complies with all federal regulations and industry standards for cybersecurity.  Investing some time, effort, and financial resources in a security audit could save your organization millions of dollars in the long run. 1. Take stock of your companys cyber operations Where do you keep your most sensitive data?  If you do not know the answer to this question, this data could be vulnerable to attack.  Sensitive files and folders should have a higher level of data security than other data. Talk with your system administrators to set up automated data classification so that highly important data has a higher security level.  You may also want to keep track of who has access sensitive company data to identify malicious network behavior. Institute a policy to review who can access this confidential data. 2. Modernize your password rules Make sure your employees have strong passwords but also realize that passwords are not enough for securing sensitive data.  Work with your companys system administrators to enforce more stringent password policies, and require users to include complex passwords including a variety of different characters: uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.  Prohibit password reuse, as that can make data more vulnerable to unauthorized access, and require your employees to change their passwords every two to three months. Multi-factor authentication requires users to enter a code sent to their email or cell phone to gain access to their account and can be utilized for the highest level of cybersecurity. 3. Monitor employees data use Restrict employees access of data to only that data which they need to perform their work; for example, do not give an entry-level staff member access to the most sensitive data unless it is required for their job to view and work with this data.  Furthermore, when employees leave the company, make sure that they no longer have access to your valuable data by disabling their accounts. Make sure to use additional monitoring to keep a close watch on account activity of employees who access the most sensitive data to make sure that the correct people are accessing the data. 4. Develop a security policy for smartphones Develop and implement a policy regarding employees smartphones.  This system should include all smart devices, such as smartwatches.  Many companies do not support mobile logins to company data due to the security risks involved.  Work with your system administrators to determine the best solution for your company and employees regarding smartphones and wearable devices. 5. Train your employees on best practices Educate your employees on the best practices for data security, including how to create a secure password, how to avoid phishing attacks and the use of company data.  Hold regular seminars to update employees on the newest security threats so that your organization can stay informed of the current cybersecurity threats. Make sure to inform your employees of the consequences of failing to adhere to security best practices. 6. Prepare for the worst Back up data regularly and make sure to employ additional security practices for the backups of highly sensitive data.  Develop and test a contingency plan in case of a disaster and review your plan yearly. So, is your company prepared for a cyber attack? Check out this infographic from Varonis to evaluate your company’s cybersecurity plan and see if there are any weak spots that could leave you open to an attack.

Six Steps to Boost Your Confidence

Six Steps to Boost Your Confidence When your confidence goes up, your competence goes up. Confidence is the single most important human ability. In fact, all other desirable abilities need confidence as a foundation. People with confidence can overcome, learn, transform and accomplish anything. And, like any ability, confidence can be learned, mastered and applied any time you start to feel a crisis of confidence. If you ever struggle with self-confidence, here are six helpful ways to build it up: Review your accomplishments You’ve already achieved some successes in your life, right? List them, identify why they were important and identify the skills and strengths you’ve used to succeed. Seek new knowledge If you’re lacking any of the skills you need to achieve your goals, focus on learning them. This process will remind you that you’re capable of growth, and mastering the skills will give you a mental boost. Face your fears Too often we sabotage our self-confidence by hiding from what frightens us. Train yourself to identify and examine your fears so you can take action against potential setbacks. Be more powerful than what you’re trying to avoid. Adjust your thought patterns Avoid negative thinking, such as all-or-nothing thoughts (“If I don’t get this job, I’ll be a total failure”), seeing only the downside (“I finished the project, but what if people see how tough it was for me?”), jumping to conclusions (“Bob didn’t reply to my emailâ€"he hates me”), or putting yourself down. Train yourself to see the positives in every situation. Practicing a daily gratitude ritual can help train your brain into automatically seeing the positive. Pay attention to your appearance You don’t have to buy a lot of expensive suits, but devoting some time to your wardrobe, hair, and overall grooming can pay off by making you feel better about how you present yourself. A neat, professional look inspires confidence from others, and helps you feel better about your prospects. Know what you want Vague goals won’t inspire your best efforts. You’ll feel more confident and capable with a clear idea of what you want to achieve in your life and career, and if those goals are what you wantâ€"not someone else’s idea of what’s important. Image courtesy of Victor1558.

Nurse Resume Writing Service Review Yelp

Nurse Resume Writing Service Review YelpNurse resume writing service review Yelp is a website that helps consumers and businesses to decide the quality of the service providers they work with. It works by rating the hospitality industry based on customer reviews. So, if you are in need of professional help to write a nurse resume then you should also consider using this website.Yelp offers reviews from many online companies. These reviews give a direct view of how people truly feel about the services offered by these companies. Using this facility can help you get rid of the misconceptions that might be floating around about the quality of the service being offered by different establishments.For instance, you might come across a genuine post about an establishment offering a professional to talk about a certain product. But later on, it turns out that the woman was only able to justify some quotes but was not really able to point out any flaw in the company's services. Such reviews can be a major setback for someone looking for a job in this field.Since a professional is not able to provide any testimonials or feedbacks, you cannot evaluate the level of professionalism being practiced by this person. On the other hand, the same person might have been able to provide positive feedback for another establishment which may not be a very good place to look for work. Hence, you will have to take note of the authenticity of the review posted by the individual and use it for your own benefit.All the services being offered by different service providers may not be the same. However, there are some common things that you will find all these establishments offering. These include professional nurses, certified nurses, registered nurses, medical assistants, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses.Apart from providing a list of the services being offered by a nurse resume writing service, Yelp also offers ratings for each of them. You can read these ratings and fin d out whether the services you are getting are at par with the rest and what services would you be getting if you were to visit the other service provider. This will help you make an informed decision and select the right service provider for your professional requirements.The advantages of Yelp are many. It offers a first-hand view of the services being offered by different organizations. The only problem with this website is that it is not always reliable. Though these reviews are not false, it still can be biased due to the fact that these service providers receive a lot of traffic.Hence, if you want to find the most accurate place to get quality nursing resume writing services, you will have to make sure that you are working with a reliable source. Most nurses choose to use this website to get referrals from potential clients. Since the reviews are not highly biased, they are the best place to go to get a free opinion of a certain professional.

Design and paradox - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Design and paradox - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Another person I met at the WorldBlu Forum is Ralf Beuker of Design Management. He spoke on design thinking and on the value of embracing paradox. This is a recurring theme on my blog here are a few examples: The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth. Niels Bohr The test of a first class mind is the ability to hold two opposing views in the head at the same time and still retain the ability to function. F. Scott Fitzgerald Change that is deeply effective and positive presents a paradoxical challenge. On the one hand, there needs to be an appreciation and acceptance of how things are in the here and now. On the other hand, there needs to be an active intention to make things better. Nothing needs to change, and everything can improve. This is the way to avoid the two extremist traps of activists frustration or pessimistic complacency. Patch Adams Embracing paradox is crucial. Too much thinking these days (especially in business) aims to reduce and simplify a worldview to the point where decision making becomes easy and thats just not the way the world works :o) Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

To find work, you must go digital - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

To find work, you must go digital Just read an interesting article in Success magazine online which reflects my views completely. In the job search market, a lot of people compete for the same job. So how do you stand out in that crowd? Success magazine’s recruiting expert says that ‘to find work, you must go digital’: It used to be that executives could network their way onto the CEOs schedule, maybe on the golf course or a chance meeting at lunch or a ball game, says Colleen Aylward, a recruitment strategy expert and author of From Bedlam to Boardroom: How to Get a Derailed Executive Career Back on Track! Its now up to you to gather your data, polish it up and position it where people will find you. Two words: digital brand. Aylward has these tips: Streamline your strengths with specific examples. Its not the interviewers job to figure out what your strengths might be; its the candidates job. The days of clever cover letters opening doors are gone. Those resumes and online profiles better be stronger than ever and packed with data and specific accomplishments. I really could not agree more. 90% of CVs that I see as a recruiter, don’t have enough data and specific accomplishments that are relevant to the role the candidate is applying for. When a recruiter is inundated with applications, unless you make it very clear what experience you have that is relevant to the job you are applying for, you will not even get an interview. Every day I receive applications from candidates who might have good experience, but not really relevant to the job they are interested in. Very often they will talk about skills in their covering letter than we are not looking for at all â€" it makes me think they’ve not read the job description at all, and are applying for any role that is vaguely relevant to their background. Then Aylward says: “Dont waste time with external executive recruiters. They dont find jobs for people. You need to get in front of the internal corporate recruiters who are searching for you online. So help them do their job by researching companies online yourself, as well as locating jobs yourself, introducing yourself to a prospective employer and conversing directly with hiring managersâ€"online. Its all about them, not you. Get out of the mindset that matching yourself for a job or interviewing for a job is about you. Its all about what you can do for them. That means defining your strengths and determining specific areas where you can solve their business problems. And be prepared to demonstrate that you have kept up with technology, industry changes and how the economy has affected them. Embrace change, Aylward says. You are still very valuable and worth money for a long time, but you need to make yourself visibleâ€"and viableâ€"to those who need your expertise. While I believe external recruiters still can help you find a job, Id absolutely recommend identifying recruiters in the companies you are interested in and contacting them directly. If a candidate whose experience is relevant to Expedia contacts me and I dont have jobs for them right now, I always keep their CV on file and stay in contact until we have a suitable position available. How have you adapted to a changing job market? Are you finding job search more or less difficult than a few years ago? I’d love to hear your thoughts!