Deluxe

The last post in this series focuses on following companies on LinkedIn.  For those of you who have a limited amount of time to spend on social media (hint==>all of us) you may be asking yourself why you should follow companies on LinkedIn.  Here's a few reasons why I follow the companies I do:

1.  It's my company.
2.  I like the products or services that the company offers.
3.  I love to see how other companies use social media.

Let's start with the first item.  If your company is on LinkedIn, and you are on LinkedIn, then why aren't you following them?  I bet your company posts job openings, talks about new products or services, and their company profile page will show you the new folks that started at your company that are also on LinkedIn.  Seriously, I shouldn't have to beg you to follow your own company.

The next reason is because I like the products or services that the company offers.  This is an easy one to share with you.  I follow Duracell - you know, the battery people.  I follow them because of the work they do with the Red Cross.  My dad works with the Red Cross when there are disasters across the country.  When he went to Alabama a few years back, I found out that Duracell had a semi-truck brought in that had huge batteries on it.  People could plug in cell phones, emergency lights, and anything those local victims needed to plug in as well as what the volunteers needed to do their job.  I was so proud of how that company helped during a time of disaster. 

But...here is the main reason I follow companies on LinkedIn.  I LOVE to see how other companies are using social media to market their employment brand and company culture.  One company that I find intriguing is Deluxe Corporation.  When you go their company page on LinkedIn, you will find an overview of the company (including any connections you may have with people at that company), Careers that they have available, and Products and Services that they offer. 

I first came accross this company through a blog post by JenniferMcClure from Unbridled Talent, LLC.  Side note...Jennifer is an amazing human being that can help your company with social recruiting and employment branding.   Deluxe uses everything from their own company blog, to youtube videos showing the environment you would be working in, to what their lunchroom looks like via LinkedIn! What a way to involve a candidate from the start in the recruitment process.

So, tell me, what companies do you follow on LinkedIn? And why?

LinkedIn Groups

Why should I belong to a group?

The next facet of LinkedIn that we will talk about are Groups. For the longest time, I didn't understand the value of a group.  Then I joined a few.  Some of the groups I belong to are BGSU College of Business Alumni (GO FALCONS!), The Ohio SHRM State Council, and LinkedHR.  I want to talk more in depth about each of these groups so you can understand the value.  Again, it's not about the numbers.  It's about the usefulness of the group. 

The BGSU College of Business group is valuable to me because I can follow what's happening at my alma matter.  They post when there are seminars, upcoming job fairs, and general announcements.  However, as an alumni I can post things as well.  Just last month there was a posting for 2 IT Recruiters needed in Akron.  You may be able to connect someone to that open job.

The Ohio SHRM State Council is an awesome group because we share chapter best practices, blog posts that are of interest to Ohio (and national) employers, and events all around the state.  We have had 11 discussions started this month alone!  The knowledge sharing on recent legislation is a valueable resource too!

Finally, LinkedHR is another group I belong to.  I will be honest.  There is a lot of traffic that flows through this group.  I only check out the discussions maybe once a month.  Topics in this group are anything and everything HR related.  You do not have to be in HR to belong to this group.

I do want to explain about the private vs. public groups.  My first two examples are privates groups.  Just like a connection, you have to ask to belong.  Whoever created and administers that group gets to decide if you can be a part of it.  The last group is open to anyone who wants to join.  Just to put things into perspective, when I wrote this post here were the stats of how many people belong to each of those groups:

BGSU College of Business                1,174 people

The Ohio SHRM State Council            454 people

LinkedHR                                     663,083 people

So, choose wisely or you can get caught up in the numbers game.  Remember, if you are going to try LinkedIn be intentional about the connections you make and groups you join.  Build those relationships.  You never know when you might need a Link...

For my readers that are already on LinkedIn and members of groups - what group would you suggest to newbies to LinkedIn?

Connections

      In case I haven't introduced myself enough, let me tell you about another passion in my life.  I am the current President of our local HR Association and a proud member of the OHSHRM State Council.  Our local association meets once a month to collaborate on issues facing our tri-county area.   I am so lucky to be on a Leadership Team with 9 other AMAZING HR people.  One of the recent discussions from our Leadership Team revolved around the use of social media.  The percentage of our members that are active online in social media was around 50%.  So, these series of posts are for those 50% not active yet.  We'll convert you!

BTW, we had two recent converts to Twitter at our OHSHRM State Council Meeting - here's a big shoutout to @HRStella and @karlinn2cool.  These are two outstanding human resource professionals here in Ohio.  You should connect with them.

On to business...

The next step to successfully creating your LinkedIn Profile is to connect with other business professionals. 
There are two ways to do this. 

The first option is to search for someone you know.  In the upper right hand corner there is a search box.  You can search several ways using this field, but right now let's concentrate on people.  You can search by full name, just first name, or just last name.  You'll notice that LinkedIn will auto-suggest some potential names.  There is also an advanced option that allows you to enter in their location, industry, or job title.  All of this can be done from the home profile page you created. 

The second option is to use the Add Connections link.  Once you are in your home profile page, click on the tab at the top that says "Connections."  Once there, in the upper right hand section is an Add Connections link.  Go ahead and click that link.  You will notice several options for finding people.  You can enter email addresses of people you know, you can search for colleagues you currently work with, and you can search for alumni you went to school with.

These two options help you find people that are currently on LinkedIn.  Once you have identified someone you want to connect with, you click on the yellow connect box in the upper right corner.  You then have to choose one of the radio buttons to show how you know your connections.  PET PEEVE ALERT: Please change the canned response in the optional message at the bottom. Let folks know why you want to connect with them. Start building those relationships from day one.

The next step in connecting with folks is done on the flip side.  Just because you want to connect with someone doesn't mean that they want to connect with you.  They have to accept your invitation!  On that note, you don't have to connect with everyone who sends you an invitation. 

So, go at it!  Start connecting with people.  Just remember, it's not about the number of connections you have .  It's about the genuine relationships you can build online, one connection at a time!

 

I met a new peep at the OHSHRM State Council Meeting.  I just sent her an invitation to connect.  Who will you connect with?

 

 

                  

Social Media What???

I am the first to admit that just about everything has been written about the use of social media in HR and business in general.  What to do, what not to do.  And the choices of where to start, should I have a LinkedIn Page, Twitter, Google+, or Facebook page?  Should I blog? What is a blog?  The options can be very overwhelming. 

Here's where I started.  LinkedIn. 

It's the world's largest professional network on the Internet (it says so on their website!).  There are 161,000,000 professionals on LinkedIn.  I created a profile to be able to connect with other professionals.  So, if you are interested in dabbling in social media, I suggest you start here.

Creating a profile on LinkedIn shouldn't take you more than 15 minutes.  LinkedIn does a great job of walking you through step by step.  Be thorough! Don't leave your picture blank (but don't put a picture on that you will regret down the road!). 

Once you have created your own profile, there are so many other things you can do on LinkedIn:

• You can send messages to individuals asking them to connect with you
• You can join a group
• You can create a group
• You can follow companies
• You can create your company's LinkedIn page
• You can post jobs
• You can search for jobs

The list is somewhat endless.  That's because you can choose how much (or how little) time you spend on this social media site.  In my next few posts, we'll talk in greater detail about how to use some of the features of LinkedIn. 

I'm curious...

         Where was your first venture into Social Media ?

Welcome to my Garden!

When I started in HR, I was blessed to have a mentor (@_StaceyChapman).  I didn't know anyone else in the profession, and yes, that was way before Facebook and Twitter.  I can remember asking her out to lunch one day where I nervously said, "OK, I have this paperwork thing figured out. I want to get involved in the strategic side of things.  How do I do that?" To which she smiled and proceeded to give me her advice for learning "Strategic" HR.  Then, she brought me right along beside her when working on projects and prepping for navigation team meetings.  Then, she left the company.  I freaked out! Now what do I do...

She hadn't left my life completely, just the position she had so graciously helped me learn.  She was on to pursue her next journey in life.  To fulfill her passion and dream.  She had given me the root structure I needed to continue to grow.  She had such a profound influence on my life that I knew I had to pay forward what Roots she had given me. 

So...here I am!  There are so many great individuals helping folks grow their Roots in HR.  My purpose through this blog is to help folks make those intentional connections.  Along with my posts, I'll be sharing some social media tips, and highlighting some incredible bloggers along the way. Thanks for spending some time in my garden. 

How are you strengthening someone's HR Roots?