This post appears as The Facebook Face Off on %%BLOGLINK%

The email thank you note is not the same as a “business letter” that we learned about in high school.  For the most part we live in a “first name” society.  Unless the individual you met with was particularly formal in style and attitude, or several levels above you on the organizational chart (i.e. interviewing with the CEO for a “marketing coordinator” role), it is perfectly correct to address that person by their first name.

This link to a good article from Business Insider reviews the key points to cover in the thank you note.  Some attention should be paid to the subject line.  Some suggestions:  “Thank you,” “Follow up,” “Follow up on our meeting.”  Keep it simple.

Last and certainly not least. After you have thoroughly reviewed your email, checked for spelling (not only with spellcheck but with your own eyes), read it out loud to yourself to see if the tone feels right, and you are about to hit the SEND button……..DON’T!

At this point, you should put your own name in the “To” line and send it to yourself.  Now, walk away.  Have a cup of coffee, walk the dog; call a friend; do anything for at least 10 minutes.  Now come back to your computer.  Look at the email you just received from yourself.  I GUARANTEE that you will find something wrong.  It could be a spelling error, a word repeated twice, too many spaces between two words,  a tone that just does not feel right.  You will find something and be glad you did not send it earlier.  Now you can make the corrections and send it out.

Remember, the thank you note won’t get you the job, but it can definitely lose it for you.  Good luck!

This post appears as The “SEND” Button is Your Enemy! on %%BLOGLINK%

This post appears as Making the leap. on %%BLOGLINK%

We are always interested in hearing your best candidate questions and invite your to share your favorite hiring strategies.

This post appears as How to Spot Innovative Hires on %%BLOGLINK%

This post appears as Having Mom or Dad Handle Your Job Search is NOT Cool! on %%BLOGLINK%

This post appears as Why Temporary Work Is Worth It on %%BLOGLINK%

This post appears as LLoyd Named Best of Long Island on %%BLOGLINK%

It doesn’t matter if you work in a Fortune 500 company or a “Mom and Pop” operation, when you thank or unexpectedly recognize employees and coworkers, it is very validating and can be a huge morale boost to the workforce and your strongest tool for employee engagement.

The success or failure of any business depends on its people. High morale typically equals high productivity, reduces staff turnover and optimizes performance. So, as we near this season of giving, if you are a worker-bee, manager, boss or owner, take a good look at the people you rely on and let them know they are appreciated. Here are some ideas – dare we say resolutions – for getting your 2012 workplace off to a good start:

• Go out of your way to say hello, shake hands or have a chat with employees with whom you have little contact or minimal rapport. Step out of your social box to learn new names and faces.
• Learn who they are outside the organization. Honor their commitments for childcare or eldercare; don’t abuse their personal time and be flexible when possible about schedules.
• Be cognizant of strengths and weaknesses. Don’t assign a numbers project to a writer or a presentation to a wallflower. Focus on what they do best.
• Give people the skills they need to do their jobs to the best of their ability – a better work station, a computer training course, ergonomic equipment.
• Offer public praise. This can be in the form of a company-wide email or an announcement at a meeting.
• Remember work anniversaries and birthdays, when possible – acknowledge in person or by text/email.
• Empower them to do their jobs. Don’t micro-manage or sidetrack them through negative coaching.
• Do the unexpected…surprise them with simple treats, frappacinos, or a flower for someone’s desk. Ask if you can join them in the lunchroom and eat with them.
• Provide opportunities for growth and/or community outreach. Let employees participate in projects or committees. Encourage membership in professional associations. Let them represent your organization at charitable events. Make the company’s involvement in any special fundraisers or causes public so that they
  can be proud of your corporate altruism.
• Create environments where staff can enjoy each other to build cooperation and loyalty…hold a bowling night, a summer picnic, a softball game, encourage car pooling.
• Use social media (such as a private Facebook page) to share news, happenings and achievements.
• Practice what you preach. Don’t ask your staff to demonstrate good customer care if they don’t get good employee care.
• Maintain a pleasant, clean and safe environment. This includes the break-room, parking lot, restrooms and the overall facility.
• Be fair and honest. Offer tactful discipline when necessary. Provide performance guidelines and job descriptions so people know what is expected of them.
• Provide annual reviews. Assess individual and team performances. Sit down and discuss achievements and shortcomings. When performance and budget permits, offer financial increases. Don’t mask inappropriate compensation with less meaningful perks. People look for the money, even if it is just a cost of living raise.
• Roll up your sleeves and work alongside your staff when they are overloaded or pushing a tight deadline. A boss who is willing to undertake a lower level task to help get the job done, shows respect for the individual who performs that duty on a regular basis.

Wal-Mart Founder, Sam Walton said, “Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. Nothing can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune.”

This post appears as The Bonus of Employee Appreciation on %%BLOGLINK%

Back then, Graphic Designers and Writers needed only to have knowledge of the print world – which was a mainstay of the creative marketplace.  Today, the floodgates have opened to a new kind of marketing and my own role has changed from Designer to Recruiter – but I still keep my hand in the world that I love best by placing freelancers and creative professionals into new job opportunities.

I am constantly telling the people I work with (both candidates and clients) that you can’t stay “old school.”  Newspaper columnist Don Marquis may have said it best when he coined the phrase, “Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”  Today, there is a greater demand for Web Savvy Front End Designer along with Web Developers and Web Content/Social Media gurus.  Small in-house marketing departments, big and small advertising agencies and Fortune 500 firms alike – virtually all of them are transitioning from traditional print marketing strategies to full-fledged Interactive Media Campaigns and Social Media game plans.   If you’re not keeping up, you are doing a total disservice to your career.

While there is still a demand for print, designers now need a full range of Interactive Media skills to succeed and advance in the interactive world. Marketing Writers are evolving from pen and paper to screen as opportunities become more abundant in Online Content, Social Media Messaging and Blogging.  Editors who have knowledge of html are also finding opportunities that include Web Content Editing.

As technology changes at a rapid pace, so do the demands of marketing and advertising needs. There are many new opportunities for creative professionals who have the foresight and ability to expand and develop new skills in an online world. One of the more reasonable options for creative professional to advance their skills is to do some cost-effective online learning.   We tend to recommend sites like www.lynda.com http://www.lynda.com for tutorials and skill specific coursework.

If you are a “creative” or an employer, I always welcome the opportunity to chat and discuss new trends in talent and the marketplace. HBocker@LLoydcreative.com

This post appears as Procrastination is the Art of Keeping Up with Yesterday on %%BLOGLINK%

That’s not a bad thing. In fact, I still have a long journey to reach his level of wisdom.  I was a corporate innocent when I met the business guru who nurtured me fresh out of college more than 30 years ago.   Even today there is a canyon of difference between what you learn on campus and what goes on in a company.

You can gain a mentor at any age, but it’s particularly helpful for entry level individuals who can benefit from the experience of a career professional whose work style, knowledge and business ethics you respect.  Your mentor does not have to be someone you work with, but mine happened to be my boss.  It was not a conscious choice to become his protégé.  The relationship just grew, but had I actively sought a mentor, he would have been a good choice.  Your mentor typically doesn’t find you, you find them.

His expectations were always higher for me than they were for myself. When I was assigned a task I had no idea how to tackle, he offered a few words on how to figure it out, but didn’t tell me how to do my job. However, once when he when he was particularly disappointed in my performance he tersely asked me if I had managed to graduate kindergarten. Ouch! When I revised my work and turned it in a second time, he nodded and said better, but I knew it was good and that made me feel good about me. 

So, if you are a corporate newbie, I encourage you to find a mentor. (And it you are a more “seasoned” professional, think about mentoring a Millennial or two.) To get into the Mentor pipeline, check out your own workplace for a role model, but also consider joining a professional association with a mentoring program to help gain some objectivity for organizational issues.  Your mentor doesn’t have to be your friend, but it should be someone you believe has your best interest in mind and can function as a catalyst to inspire your potential.  If you are ready to be mentored, these guidelines should help get the relationship off to a good start.

• Respect your mentor’s time.  Connect at convenient times by email, phone and in person meetings.  Fifteen minutes at Starbucks is easy.
• Bring just one or two issues or questions to your mentor, then listen to what s/he has to say. Don’t offer objections.  Come away from the meeting and think about how their suggestion might help you overcome a career obstacle.
• Don’t expect your mentor to solve your problem.  Your mentor teaches you how to fish, but he doesn’t feed you.  If you want to maximize the relationship make the connection between what you’ve discussed and how you can apply it to your own life.

I believe I have inherited the best (and the worst) of my mentor’s tendencies.  I do enjoy helping someone build on their talents, but admittedly, I can be a curmudgeon about it.  Still, I hope that what I can offer is exactly what mentoring is all about – allowing my hindsight to become my mentee’s foresight.

This post appears as Get A Mentor or Be A Mentor on %%BLOGLINK%