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Archive for the ‘two cents’ Category

We fall within the category of SMEs (small to medium sized enterprises). How can we work strategically, analyze customer and consumer behavior, and have smart marketing plans when we have very limited resources due to our size? ...read more

I recently had a job interview and the manager expressed a certain level of discomfort towards my Facebook page entries and pictures. Should we now start worrying about our Facebook communication when it comes to getting hired? Isn’t finding a job already difficult enough?

Getting a job is difficult and finding the right job should be even more difficult. Smart and successful companies don’t hire employees based on education and CVs, they look for a corporate culture fit and a match in personalities and behavior. So you can see why they might go to great lengths just to be sure that a candidate is genuine. And availability of published information makes it tempting to use it as a quick reference check or a tool to gage true personality traits away for the staged interview act that many employees have learned how to master with time. ...read more

My company works in the IT industry. Management asked me to solicit some leads through LinkedIn since cold calling is impersonal and ineffective. After sending bulk requests our database grew to almost 300 contacts. The problem is that we couldn’t turn this list into serious prospects. Is LinkedIn a dead end for marketing our business? ...read more

Over the years, I had my share of hiring wrong employees who didn’t demonstrate enough loyalty to me or to the company. What can I do to get the new hires to be more loyal? ...read more

The nature of my work revolves around project-base contracts that each lasts for about 2 to 3 years. Now that I’m in my 50s and with this great recession I’m not finding any new opportunities. Can I still get a job in these circumstances? ...read more

Many of our competitors brag about the different awards they won in the last few years. The application and qualification processes are time consuming. Is it really worth it? Do customers actually care about companies who have won awards?

Breaking News: The security guard in your apartment building won the “Super Security Guard of the Year” Award. Sweet, but it’s not something that will make you decide to stay if you were not satisfied with the property management standard of service. However, let’s take a look at your security guard for a moment. Knowing about the award, he became familiar with the rules and started to improve his performance, appearance and efficiency so he’s ready for the committee’s review. The security guard’s real benefit was the journey he was on to up his game. Even if he didn’t win the award he gained a better performance. ...read more

HR gave me a written notice about my attire for being too casual. There’s nothing in their policy that talks about what clothes to wear at work. Why should I listen to them?

Oh, Dior! Someone call the Fashion Police. You could be the person to win the Most Fashionable Employee of the Year award, if there was ever one, however, your sense of what’s fashionable is not the point. It’s not about HR or your manager’s personal taste either. The real issue here is the absence of a brand guide that explains the personality, values, spirit and tone of the business. While many global brands are more comfortable not providing a uniform for reasons such as cost cutting and not killing the employee’s individual sense of style and identity, they have this subject covered through clear guidelines. The idea is not to restrict the employees by telling them what to wear, but to inform them about what not to wear. ...read more