Forgive me for the inside baseball, but I have something to say. Every year, several hundred human resources nerds across the world vie for an opportunity to speak at an event called SHRM’s Annual Conference and Exposition. Much like an RFP process — with no ROI for anyone involved and no transparency — SHRM selects…
Hello from Sydney. It’s awesome here. I am having a great time. Before you know it, I’ll be in Rome. What a busy month! So what’s happening in Australia? Well, lots of splashy consultants are walking around this conference talking about the future of the modern workforce. “Things are different, Laurie. Everyone should learn to…
It’s no lie that recruiters and hiring managers dismiss your resume — and your appearance — within 11 seconds of coming into contact with you. (Google it.) People make snap judgments based on hair, weight, color, gender, age and font. That’s science, which is rooted in the ugly side human nature. But just because it’s science…
I have a ton of friends who work for job boards. All of them want me to spread the word that job boards are more than job boards. I wonder if you know anything about job boards. What’s a job board? A job board is a website where you can look for a job. Give…
What is your company doing for Veterans Day? Whatever it is, put those plans on hold. The best thing you can do is hire a veteran. The second best thing you can do is stop assuming that all veterans suffer from PTSD. The third thing you can do is stop trying to gain favor with…
You guys, I just finished a month of writing about the candidate experience for CareerBuilder’s Talent Advisor Portal. What is this all about? What is the candidate experience? The candidate experience is about fairness and communication. It’s about people in power — leaders, hiring managers, human resources professionals — giving a damn about job seekers and…
A good friend of mine is the CEO of a small (but busy) corporation. She told me that the single biggest differentiator between good HR leadership and inadequate HR leadership is someone who can speak the language of executive compensation. You see, executive compensation is different than “average joe” compensation. You get paid money. If…
As the entire world knows, I will be forty years old in January. I’m not afraid of turning 40. I’ve never had more fun or more opportunity in my life. It’s good to be LFR. But 40 is something. Not only does it mean that I have a few life experiences under my belt, it…
Deloitte wants to kill your HR department. I am not joking. It starts with a casual conversation. Deloitte has done work with your colleagues in operations, IT and finance. It’s not tough to secure a meeting with your CEO or CFO. They know your industry, and they’ve done research in HR — which is nothing…
Edward Binney and Harold Smith co-invented crayons in 1903, which doesn’t seem that long ago. Fortune cookies were invented back in 1918 — but I have to admit that I thought fortune cookies were some sort of ancient Chinese dinner ritual. (This makes me mildly racist. Sorry, guys.) John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry built the…