September 2011 Archives

The Saratoga Springs Chamber Business Showcase is being held Thursday October 6th from 3-7pm. From 3-430 is a vendor only show, but from 430-7 the expo is open to the general public. Over 160 companies will be presenting their products and services and it is a great opportunity to meet other fellow business owners as well as seek out possible relationship development leading to jobs or business contacts.

For $5 and a couple of hours of your time, I highly recommend you attend this event. Braathe Enterprises and the SaratogaCollege.com team will have a booth and a couple of our virtual interns will be present.

For more information, visit the Saratoga County Chamber website

I was walking through a mall in Florida yesterday minding my own business looking down at my phone as I walked by a row of kiosks with people hard selling various goods and services. I heard someone say "Hey sir have you heard about our services?" aimed in my direction, and I pretended not to hear them. After I walked about a step or two beyond their kiosk, I heard them mumble under their breath "a--hole".

I so badly wanted to stop and give this person a piece of my mind, but then realized it probably wasn't worth the anger or the time. However, I decided to write about it and talk about how annoyed I am by this type of sales environment.

Malls have looked for ways to capitalize on using public spaces like this for these types of businesses, yet I don't really understand how these businesses make money or do anything other than annoy people. I can imagine they are paid commission only or minimum wage, but it doesn't excuse the type of intrusive customer relations skills they demonstrate.

What do you do to face the onslaught of kiosk salespeople?

As I sit here in my friend's house in Orlando, FL catching up on some work before everyone wakes up, I can't help but be in complete and utter joy with the response to my part-time return to the Orlando area. It has been 11 years since my days at Walt Disney World, yet the friendships and relationships I developed here still remain as strong as ever.

What made this move to come here on a regular basis possible was the strength of the relationships I have built here, both during my time here and after I left. I've maintained a regular visitation schedule over the years, and have kept everyone up to date on my business at his grown.

As I mentioned in a prior post a while back, it is so important to keep the fire brewing in your relationships with others with phone calls, emails, and visits both for the social aspect as well as for the professional aspect. If you are out of sight, you don't need to be out of mind.

Off to my first meeting of the day in a couple hours. More from the road later in the week!

A colleague of mine recently was hired to do work three time zones away for a company based in another state. The job opportunity requires limited travel and allows him to work from home. If he hadn't reached out to the company with options for remote work, he may never have come across the opportunity in the first place.

Challenge yourself this week to look at companies outside of your locale. If you have the attitude and skills that a company is looking for, they may make it possible for you to work from where you are without the need for relocation.

I often get emails, calls and text messages from people asking for advice or assistance with resumes, job searches, employment opportunities and the like, and find it fascinating the lack of response time when it comes to replying back once I have given some advice or followup.

There are already Robert's Rules of Order, so I can't call these that, but let's call these Braathe's Rules of Electronic Communication:

1. If you receive an email, you should respond to it within 24 hours during the week and 48 hours on the weekend (unless you have an auto responder setup.

2. If you receive a text message, you should respond to that within 1 hour unless you have pre-arranged or clarified your text message policy

3. If you receive a phone call, similarly, you should have a voice message indicating an appropriate time in which you will respond.

4. If you have a chat window open in a program like AIM, Facebook etc and don't want to be contacted, hide that person from your contact list or put up an Away message so you will only respond to those who reach out to you.

5. If you are contacted via message through LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, respond back within 12-24 hours unless it is a weekend.

What do you think of these rules? What would you add/delete/change?

If you are out of work, it may be time to make a list of the 10 reasons you don't have a job. Many people will blame the economy, layoffs, poor bosses, etc, but if you sit down and look at some of the other reasons you are out of work, you may discover that all the reasons you come up with are manageable and fixable.

Here are 10 reasons many people are out of work other than economic conditions

1. An unclear objective
2. A resume that lacks clarity
3. Lack of online presence on sites like LinkedIn
4. Expired credentials
5. Incomplete degree requirements
6. Lack of experience with new technology
7. Poor presentation skills
8. Not accepting jobs that are "beneath them"
9. Gaps in employment that aren't explained
10. Inflexibility in work schedule

All 10 of these items can easily be adjusted. You may want to consider checking out the Career Communications Concepts online learning environment through SaratogaCollege.com. Be one of the first 5 people to email us before 9/18 at robert@saratogacollege.com and you will be given free access to this 12 week career development course and guidance to help you find your next job.

Very few pitchers go undefeated during a baseball season; many pitchers go through slumps where they don't have their best pitch working, where they can't throw strikes, or can't get hitters out. The very best pitchers pitch through these woes and do the best they can given their physical, mental, and emotional abilities at that time.

Similarly, in the workplace, one can't be on 100% of the time; there will come days where you'll need to work a longer day or a shorter day to meet your limitations head on. You may have to make decisions after a sleepless night, during a physical ailment, or after having an emotional roller coaster of a day. The important things to remember are to shut down when you need to, work through the difficult times, and rely on your support network to give you the kind of attention you need to work through the tough times.

After yet again nearly being hit by a car who didn't use a turn signal, I decided to start a Facebook page for Turn Signal Awareness. The car was in the left turn lane, I was in the crosswalk, and then all of a sudden the car took a sudden right and nearly hit me. I hope people will share their stories like this and prevent these kind of things from happening.

It's often the little things like not using turn signals that cause the most havoc in society. Similarly, in HR, little things like forgetting to say Thank You, I'm Sorry, Great Job, and the like can decrease morale and create chaos.

Think of some of the little things you can do today to prevent little things from causing big problems.

In addition to my offer of free resume critiques online through September 17th (email your resume to robert@saratogacollege.com
), I will be at the following Job Fairs at the times below offering resume critiques and career advice.

Saratoga Job Fair
Saratoga City Center
Wednesday October 5th from 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm

Times Union Job Fair
Albany Marriott
Monday October 10th from 2pm-5pm

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Another great service I'd like to share with you is Google Appointments. Google Appointments allows you to block out time for people to schedule time with you. You can specify the blocks of time, how long the appointments can be, and what for.

If you'd like to book an appointment with me, you can visit Robert Braathe of Braathe Enterprises Google Calendar to schedule a time to speak with me via Phone/Skype/GoToMeeting

Once you are established and well into your HR career, your next thoughts most likely center on advancement. Human Resources is continuously evolving to meet the business needs, requirements, and laws that are ever changing. If you want to move to the next level in your field, you must work hard and prove yourself. This means taking on extra projects, not being afraid to voice new ideas , becoming a Subject Matter Expert, and going back to school for additional training, certifications and/or an advanced degree.

1. Taking on more projects - When new projects arise, that usually means extra work and most people avoid more work like the plague. If you want to advance your career, you must be the person who steps up to the plate. Why? Well, for numerous reasons. When promotion time comes, you will be at the forefront of the minds of management for your willingness to roll up your sleeves and help the company in their time of need. Secondly, you are showing eagerness and a willingness to both learn and try new things and that is also a positive with management. Thirdly, with each new project that you complete, you are proving just how knowledgeable you are and how much your help can improve the HR process.

2. Voice New Ideas - Everyone has an opinion, but most are too afraid to voice them. If you have an idea or suggestion that you feel will help the HR process, then voice it. This shows initiative and drive, and it can also make a great addition to your resume if your idea succeeds.

3. Become a SME (Subject Matter Expert) - Read HR blogs, start an HR blog, answer questions on LinkedIn, build your profile on social media sites, and get recommendations on those sites. In other words, spread the word that you are an HR professional and a true subject matter expert in the field. Not only will your employers take notice, so will other in your industry and that can only help you in the future.

4. Advance your education - Many Senior level positions requires certain certifications, training, and degrees. By taking educational classes focused on HR, you stay ahead of the pack by learning of the new laws, regulations, and business process hitting your industry. Do you think you don't have time? Online education is becoming increasingly popular and is now widely accepted by big organizations. Here is one HR class being offered online that is merely 8 weeks and is centered around your schedule. You already have the education and with training classes, you also have the education, which makes you the ideal candidate for promotion.

With these four steps, you will be on your way to advancing your HR career. Have you recently moved up the ranks in HR? How did you do it?

Happy Labor Day! For those of you seeking jobs, here is a list of some upcoming job fairs in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

As a special for the week of Labor Day, if you send your resume to robertjbraathe@gmail.com between now and September 17th, I'll be happy to review it for you and give you a free 10 minute phone consultation for some suggestions prior to your career fair visit.

New York
Albany Area
Albany Career Fair
Albany Marriott
189 Wolf Road
Date: October 10, 2011
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm Closed 1-2pm

The Saratogian Job Fair
Wilton Mall
Route 50
Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 12866
Date: Monday, September 12, 2011
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Saratoga Job Fair
Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Time: 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saratoga City Center
522 Broadway,
Saratoga Springs, New York, 12866
http://saratogajobfair.org/

Hudson Valley
Work Local First Job Fair
Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce
Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel & Conference Center
Civic Center Square
Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 12601
Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

NYC

Senator Joseph Addabbo, Jr. Job Fair
The Shops at Atlas Park
8000 Cooper Avenue
Glendale, N.Y. 11385
Date: Friday, October 21, 2011
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

The Job Expo
Affinia Manhattan Hotel
371 Seventh Ave
New York, NY 10001
Event Time: 10AM to 2PM
Date: November 17, 2011

Diversity Job Fairs
Affinia Manhattan
371 Seventh Ave
New York, NY 10001
Event Time: 10AM to 2PM
Date: Thursday December 8th, 2011

Western NY
First Niagara Financial Group Information Session
Department of Labor
284 Main Street
Buffalo, N.Y. 14202
Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Massachusetts
Multi-Industry Job Fair
100 Trade Center, Woburn MA
Date: Wednesday, September 14th 2011
1pm - 3pm

Clipper City Job Fair
31 Green Street, Newburyport, MA
Masonic Hall
Date: Tuesday September 20th 2011
10 am - 1:00 pm

Sales & Management Career Fair
Date: September 20,2011
Time 01:00 PM
Location:
Hilton Garden Inn -Waltham
420 Totten Pond Road
Waltham, MA 02451

Massachusetts Green Career Conference
Date: September 30th, 2011
Holiday Inn, Marlborough, MA
(Intersection of I-495 and Route 20)
265 Lakeside Avenue
Marlborough, 01752

Boston
Diversity Job Fair
Date: Thursday October 27, 2011
The Westin Copley Place
10 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02116
10AM to 2PM

Job Fair of Boston
Doubletree Guest Suites Boston/Waltham
Date: Thursday, December 08, 2011
550 Winter Street
Waltham, MA 02451
10:00AM-1:00PM

Connecticut
Danbury Career Fair
Date: Monday, September 12, 2011
11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
21 Lake Avenue Extension
Danbury, Connecticut

Middlesex County Career Fair
Date: Friday, October, 28, 2011
10:00 am to 2:30 pm
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cromwell, CT

by Evelyn Amaro

Many people in HR question whether social media can help them. Here are 5 ways you can successfully use social media to help with HR endeavors.

1. Training and Development - Social Media can be a great tool in training new employees. Creating an internal Youtube channel for new hires is a great way to train new employees and save training time by having the new employees watch these training videos as part of the orientation process. This is also a great reference for employees trying to learn the ropes or for those who need a refresher course. Click here for an example of a company using YouTube for HR.

2. Recruiting Talent - Nearly every individual has jumped on the social media bandwagon and this can be a huge advantage when it comes to your hiring needs. Social networks are a great place to find candidates even before actually engaging them. LinkedIn is a huge tool to be used in your recruitment effort. Here you can preview the potential candidates work history (if filled out properly) and you are able to find candidates in your industry, holding the title you are interested in hiring for and many times, an outline of their resume. Another key tool is twitter. Running a search on twitter will lead you to a number of interesting people in your industry who can be considered SME in the field you are attempting to recruit for. TwitJobSearch is also used to scour twitter for what you are looking for. Facebook is creeping up the ladder as a recruitment tool competitor. This is usually done by creating a Facebook Fan Page with keywords related to your company and industry. You then find people with similar interests to "Like" you page. From there, you send out updates pertinent to your company and your followers. Here is a great article explaining FB for recruiting in more detail.

3. Brand Promotion and Marketing: By continuously engaging in social media networking, your company name and areas of expertise grows one follower and/or viewer at a time. Soon you will find that your followers and loyal customers/clients start promoting your business for you. This goes hand-in-hand with #8.

4. Communication leads to Expertise - If you consistently communicate and share relevant information via your social media networks, people will soon see you as an expert in your field. This can lead to a number of positive possibilities including: more sales, more clients, more candidates, and more rand exposure. It also helps to derive instantaneous feedback which can help better shape your marketing efforts.

5. Relationship Building - Lastly, the key to all social media efforts and what will lead to your company and HR success is relationship building. Joining HR groups and networking with your fellow HR people and connecting with your clients, customers and potential candidates.

Are there other ways you use Social Media to help HR? Let us know!