Freelancing Isn't Code For "Unemployed"

This is not your mother's recession.  It's not your grandfather's depression.  It's a whole new ballgame and the rules have changed.  The line between "unemployed" and "employed" has gotten trampled on so often it's nothing more than a blurry concept.  People are still scrambling to figure out how this ever changing, shifting and growing dynamic can exist in the business world.

One thing is for sure: advertising, marketing and IT firms are rethinking their talent acquisition strategies, which is handy because a lot of talented folks in those industries are rethinking what it means to be employed.

The gist of it is this: Many forward-thinking firms are beginning to assemble a roster of high-performing freelancers and are crafting talented teams who can work together but have no need for a brick and mortar location…or healthcare - (but that's another topic for another day).  This dynamic is picking up speed primarily because the job market sucks.  There are some really talented people out there right now who don't have "full-time employment".  What they do possess are skills that can be marketed and market those they do.  Networking has always been a "thing" in the business world.  Now it's a way to survive and thrive.

The upside?  Companies can build a crack-team of creatives who crank out incredible work.  Downside?  If you're the talent, nothing is all that stable right now, so hold on tight.

If you're a company that is considering this model, consider this:

• You need a strong project manager to tame the lions, wrangle the cats and corral the creatives.  Internal communications, client deliverables and tracking is crucial to pulling this off. 
• Hiring a knowledgeable recruiter to handle the initial talent acquisition effort and offer advice will help you create the most effective team. (hint, hint)
• You must debrief the team at the end of the project.  They aren't going to be able to develop the institutional knowledge that you traditionally find in the office, so you need to provide positive feedback and critique as needed.

If you're on the other side of this equation and think that freelancing is the way to go:

• Don't kid yourself about what you can and can't do.  Laurels will not be rested on and if you can't deliver, it can't be hidden by bureaucracy.

• Need structure and struggle with time management?  This probably isn't the gig for you.

• Become comfortable with "feast or famine".  Paychecks aren't often steady and you've got to roll with the punches and be able to at least have a vague financial plan.

• You are a professional.  If the client calls, answer.  If you have a meeting, be on time.  Fail to take this as serious as any job and you'll find yourself sucking down ramen noodles between shifts at the Burger-O-Rama.

It's a brave new world out there and in order to come out smelling like roses instead of, well...use your imagination, you need to be able to embrace what the hell is going on and make the most of what you've got.

Now, I've said my bit and I want to hear yours.  Company reps, what do you look for when you're creating a freelance team?  Do you even use freelancers at all?  Talent, would you ever trade fulltime for freelance?  Vice-versa?

Taking it to the Hole: Nike's Jordan Strategy

What's better than sitting around in your office reading about marketing strategy and wondering how it can possibly apply to helping your clients find the right talent? Easy. Taking a trip down to Maryland to catch the 2011 AAF Baltimore Ad Week. Better yet, I sat in on a session with none other than Sean Tresvant, Global Marketing Director for Nike.

Sean spent an hour detailing how Nike builds and executes a marketing strategy for the brand that sent Nike soaring, the Jordan brand. Each year the brand launches a new shoe, and though I didn't even realize it, this is going to be their 26th year. Being one of the world's most recognizable brands and keeping things fresh for 26 years has its own set of unique challenges.

Sean explained that long gone are the days of walking into your local shoe store or Footlocker and talking with the sales rep about the latest and greatest in footwear tech. These days, the brand's target demographic (the 17 year old competitive athlete) is conducting all of their research digitally before ever setting foot into a brick and mortar store. It came as a bit of a revelation that teenagers were comparison shopping and checking out the specs for shoes online, but who can blame them?

What their consumers want to consume has even changed. Sean discussed the ever-increasing amount of technical details that his consumers want about each shoe. It's interesting to note that during the brand's birth, the brand itself was enough to sell the shoe. It was a Jordan, plain and simple. Now the most clicked link on the shoe profile page is for the technical details. Buyers want to know why the shoe is better than the competition and what it can do for them.

As we got rolling into the question and answer portion of the afternoon, the audience seemed to be interested in learning about community pushback that Nike has to deal with from time to time. I specifically brought up the current Nike 6.0 campaign and Sean took it in stride and gave the answer you want to hear as a marketer and advertiser: Nike pushes the limits with its products and does the same with its marketing. Remember that the brand is 26 years old and keeping your audience's attention means pushing the limits and being provocative...which sometimes brings a bit of heat. I, personally, have always enjoyed Nike's advertising and it was refreshing to hear such a candid response.

The discussion was a great opportunity to peer a little bit into the mind of a man that directs a massive global marketing brand. But, here are my questions to you: Do you think the Jordan brand will stay relevant? Is Nike still known for pushing the envelope in advertising?

Just a few things to think about.

Introduction: Let's Talk!

I would like to introduce myself to everyone as the newest member of the Talent Tap family. I joined Bernadette as a Senior Recruiter about two weeks ago and it has been nonstop since then, which is one of the many reasons I was so excited to work with her. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me back up and provide a brief rundown of my background and how I got to be writing my own introduction on our blog..

After graduating from Millersville University I accepted a job with TriStarr Staffing where I worked as an Employment Specialist. During my two years with TriStarr I handled recruiting for some of the best companies in Lancaster that were in need of temporary and permanent administrative employees. At the same time Bernadette was managing TriStarr’s professional division, and I was able to work side by side with her on several projects.

Then, earlier this month I was walking down Queen Street in Lancaster and just about walked right into Bernadette. She started talking to me about her new, growing company, Talent Tap, and brought me back to her office to see the location. It just so happened she was inundated with work and needed another internal hire. After seeing the work she was doing and the environment that she was doing it in at The Candy Factory, a really cool co-working facility of bright entrepreneurial business owners, I was sold.

I am very excited to be part of her team here at Talent Tap and I am looking forward to working with her in providing the best client representation in today’s staffing market.

Both Sides Of The Coin...

I'm in the unique position of seeing the hiring process from both sides, and while it’s the hiring companies who pay me, I love hearing feedback from candidates too.  It never ceases to amaze me what takes place during interviews and the hiring process.  Sometimes it can be a strange dance and, like a dance, occasionally some toes get stepped on.

Here are some of the things that candidates have brought back to me about hiring managers over the years.

The good:

-       Hiring managers who come prepared to an interview, engage with thoughtful questions and take the time to get to know candidates as people, not just a talking resume.

-       Being upfront about the process – the hiring time frame (including any unexpected delays or developments), required assessments, references needed, how many interviews, follow up procedures and all the details that keep this dance moving.

-       This is a bit outside the hiring managers’ control, but candidates love to hear great word-of-mouth about great employers from social media, friends and family, simple as that.

The bad (with editorial comments from yours truly):

-       Keeping qualified candidates on the hook as “back-up plans”.  Say “yes” or “no” already!

-       Failing to provide feedback in a timely manner or not at all.  If you interview someone, get back to them.  Don’t be a tool.

-       Asking them to work for free (for a “trial period”) or low-balling the outright offer.  How would you feel if you were already jumping through hoops and then they burst into flames?

-       Advertising that you’re hiring for a job and you’re not – or have a candidate in cue – but want to just see who’s out there.  Yes, develop the reputation early for being disingenuous - good move.

As a hiring manager, why should you care?

Beyond the obvious point that these candidates may become employees of your organization and that you want to make sure that they are starting on a high note, there’s a compelling case to be made for good PR out there in the job market.  These people, both those that you hire and those you don’t, are out there talking about your company whether you like it or not.  Why not actually have some good word of mouth being spread around?

Just my two cents...what I really want to know is what you think.  Any stories about awesome interview experiences?  Or candidates who showed up in a bathrobe and 15 minutes late?  Just keep it anonymous! 

The Cubicle Crucible: Breaking Out of the Office Gauntlet

Once upon a time, in a business park far far away, a company’s employees would relish the rare day that they could “work remotely”, “VPN in” or “be out of pocket for the day”.  These poor souls were often shackled to their desks by inferior technology and a management structure that believed that work from home meant daytime TV and snarfing bon-bons while collecting a check.

Of course, no real fairytale happens under the oppression of fluorescent lights and thankfully, those poorly lit dark times are becoming a part of the past.

The advent of things like online “cloud” software, web-based collaboration tools and more powerful and portable technology is slowly, but surely, turning the traditional office into a ghost town.  Within creative fields especially, organizations are finding that letting employees define their own work spaces that meet their professional and interpersonal needs is sending efficiencies, productivity and profits soaring.  The hardest part?  Having management take a deep breath, hitch up their big boy or girl pants and give up the idea that the team has to be physically together to make a project successful.

Here, let me throw out some bullet points to drive this all home:

• Truly fast-moving and innovative companies are tossing the costly traditional office in favor of a blend of virtual staff arrangements, co-working facilities and turnkey conference rooms.
• The green movement is pushing companies to lessen their carbon footprint.  Nothing says “hug a tree” like cutting down on commuting and travel and reusing old spaces.
• There are a lot of collaborative software packages out there that let people work together without actually having to be in the same room.  Dropbox, Basecamp, Skype and their ilk enable you to take that conference call anywhere you happen to be at the moment.

It would stand to reason that as companies are cutting costs and struggling to increase efficiency, they might be looking at new ways to employ people.  Well, they are.  Remote contractors/freelancers who are specialists are being called upon more and more to integrate with existing teams, use the software available to them, do the job and then ride off into the sunset. 

*Shameless Plug Incoming* 

Companies like Talent Tap are proving to be a invaluable resource for companies looking to do staff augmentation with outside talent.  A recruiter finds a specialist with the right skills and you use them for as much as you need. It’s hassle-free for the harried manager:  it’s all the talent without any of the HR headaches. 

The Art of the Job Offer: How Not To Screw It Up

You've applied to the job and you're feeling confident.  You had your first phone interview and you're thrilled that you made it this far.  Then you rocked your in-person meeting and now have that nervous, excited feeling.  Well, what happens next?

Not surprisingly, that depends on you.

It's been my experience that many job applicants handle prospective job offers in one of the following ways:  they're either a little too tentative and don't negotiate reasonable terms before an offer is on the way, or they are the polar opposite and are too aggressive and unrealistic.  Take a look at the following four mistakes so you don't fall into the same trap.

1.)  Don't be wishy-washy!  Figure out if you're really serious about making a career move before you even think about taking an interview.  We recruiters can figure out which of you are simply looking to boost your pay via the famous counteroffer.  If you don't like where you're at now, see if there's something you can do to fix the problem or determine if things just aren't working out and it's time to move on.

2.)  Do your salary homework!  Research salaries in your field for people at your level of experience around the region.  That last point is important because salaries can be significantly different in major metro areas v. secondary markets.  Try to steer clear of sites like salary.com as they don't often take regional differences into account.  Instead, try networking with peer groups on social media sites like LinkedIn or trade industry organizations in your area.

3.)  It's all about trade-offs.  Don't have rigid expectations when you start your job search.  Be clear about what is most important to you and what you're willing to trade to get it.  Think about it like this:  you are a senior level project manager making top salary and enjoy four weeks of vacation.  Now, if you switch jobs and want to keep those four weeks, don't expect a 15% pay increase.

4.)  Learn to dance.  Think of an employment offer as a marriage proposal.  You've courted each other, figured out if you're a good team together and now it's time to commit.  Don't ruin the romance by saying, "I'll need a week to think about it", or worse, "Sorry, I'm waiting to hear on two other potential offers, as well."  Scandalous.  You obviously don't need to respond immediately and asking for 24 hours to think about it, talk to your spouse, etc., is perfectly reasonable.

Remember, how you handle the offer will set the tone for the entire working relationship.  So put your best foot forward and jump-start a successful career move!

“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”

Over the last 20 years, much has been written and discussed about how to retain employees.  However, the past several years have proved to be particularly brutal for sustained employee or employer loyalty.  Unless you’re an employee-owned company (like my best client…hint, hint) or just unusually passionate about creating a unique company culture predicated on something as crazy as cultivating happiness at work, ala Zappos, many companies have been more focused on getting more done with less.  Which, in a nutshell, means that they’re less concerned about employee satisfaction. 

All that being said, I recently read an article that hit me right between the eyes.  It suggested that perhaps employers shouldn’t be so worried about employee retention as much as they should worry about “sustained engagement” of their current staff.  Think about it like this: within fast-changing industries like technology it’s common to expect 3-5 years out of an employee before they move on.  So maybe, just maybe, it’s better to have 2-3 years of intense contribution and engagement from an employee and think less about how long that person is going to stick around for.  Yes, there are exceptions like Zappos and Google, but they are exactly that…exceptions.

I bet you’d like to know the winning formula for creating “sustained employee engagement”, right?  Sorry – there’s no magic wand for creating that type of intense commitment.  However, in my experience, exceptionally motivated and effective employees work within organizations who share a few key traits:

•    The top leadership is not only passionate but they are “realistic optimists”.  As optimists, they expect the best from their staff and trust in their skills.  They expect people to shine and celebrate success when it’s attained.   But as realists, they also expect employees to admit mistakes and learn from them.
•    Employees have the power to make decisions: for customers, each other and the company as a whole.  You’ll find little to no micro-managing here. 
•    People care because they feel personally invested in the company’s success.  They also like to see others succeed within their team and throughout the organization.  They welcome giving credit to others when it’s due. Overall, there is little toleration for a “me-first” attitude.  That mentality works well to gain ratings for “The Apprentice” but it will sabotage most businesses.  

Reality Bites: Social Media and The Successful Job Search

 How much of this is familiar to you?

<! ·   Linkedin:    You’ve got a profile and a couple of credible recommendations.

<! ·   Facebook:  You’re on it more than you’d like to admit, but still try not to be obsessive.

<! ·   Twitter:  It’s about tweeting what you’re having for lunch.

The world of social media can be intimidating. It’s always changing and keeping up with the newest, latest and greatest isn’t always easy. If you’re looking for a job, utilizing social media to help can be a huge advantage…if you do it right. The hard reality is that managing your presence on-line takes time and effort, but not doing it could mean getting passed over for that critical in-person interview.  Think of yourself as a brand that needs management to reach its full potential.  Here are a five “musts” to help you with the process:

1. Your profile photo:  keep it professional, yet warm and engaging. If you’re in a conservative industry, match that feel. However, if you’re in a more creative field, you’ve got a bit more freedom.  Do I need to mention that pictures which are controversial or unprofessional should be avoided?  Good, I didn’t think so.
2. Don’t be a virtual motor mouth. Make sure that comments and shared content are meaningful to a wide audience and that you’re not overloading them with too many posts.
3. Google Alerts is a great way to monitor your on-line reputation. Register your name and you’ll be immediately notified if someone mentions you on-line.
4. Pay it forward, without expecting people to reciprocate. Helping other people succeed by sharing good news about them feels great – and helps build relationships. When you’re impressed by someone, send a LinkedIn recommendation extolling their virtues.  You’ll make their day – and build your own credibility as an expert.
5. Get out and about! Don’t expect instant job search success by just having a great on-line presence. You need to have face-to-face interactions with a wide variety of people within various networking situations. 

Recruitment Outsourcing: Do More with Less

We all know that companies of all shapes and sizes have been left digging out from the “The Great Recession”.  Everyone is struggling to pick up the pieces and more often than not, what employees you have left are being taxed with the extra burden.  This is especially true of human resource departments.  The challenge of sorting through more resumes than you can count, keeping existing employees happy and balancing a hiring manager’s needs is a lot to bear.  To top it all off, hiring the right talent is an ever-more urgent mandate for organizations that need to find superstars that can multi-task and operate in these fast-paced, pressurized environments.

In the past, organizations have looked at staffing agencies with a bit of a wary eye and who can blame them?  Most of the resumes that were passed on tended to be coated in effusive praise and the promise of a hefty commission if one of their candidates landed the job.  But, much like other businesses having to shift their strategies, so too, are recruiters.  More and more recruitment firms are working as trusted partners to HR departments and companies, taking a little bit of pressure off already harried staff.

The change is subtle, but it’s there if you look for it.  Gone are big commissions for sticking a company with a candidate…any candidate.  Now recruiters, like myself, act as on-going partners who provide objective feedback, frank opinions on candidates (and what their references really said) and a singular focus on finding the right candidate, not a commission. The breakdown and reasons as to “why” use an outside recruiter are actually pretty simple:

• Your hiring managers are freed up to concentrate on more profitable work
• The human resources department is focused on interviewing only the best candidates – giving them more time to devote to working on internal projects for your valuable employees
•  Third-party recruiters can gather and track down a greater collection of objective information and references on a potential hire
• An ongoing recruitment partner will drastically lower your cost-to-hire rate as they become hiring experts for your company

All that being said, I’d love to hear your thoughts about third-party recruiters!