Companies and agencies are continuously trying to find the “holy grail” of talent:  New hires who can do the job well and come at an affordable salary. As an HR pro, I don’t know how many times I’ve been told by hiring managers to find the best talent for the cheapest price possible.  Unfortunately, there have been a few problems with this equation, namely:

• Managers aren’t sure what “doing the job well” is.
• Managers believe candidates are worth less than they are told.
• Candidates believe they are worth more than they really are.
• Candidates who do know what they are worth try to negotiate for much higher.
• There are too many candidates to choose from, primarily due to electronic means of advertising jobs and applying for jobs.

The outcome can be a lengthy, expensive recruiting process due to too many interviews, too many decision makers, and salary ranges that are based on a negotiation game.

The Potential Solve:  Go “Brandless”.

Hey Gang:  Read the rest of my post (and lots of other great stuff) at Fistful Of Talent. 

Special Note:  Scroll down to the bottom to receive the Dawn Magic Discount Code for this fall’s ClearCompany Talent Success Conference… and now, on to the blog post! 

For those of you who want to throw a tomato at my head (gently please) because I’m writing an article about Millennials… slow your roll!  Cause I’m gonna drop some knowledge on you that may rock your world just a little bit.  Ready?

Turns out Millennials aren’t the most “demanding generation” anymore.  Arguably they aren’t the most entitled.  Want to know why?  Turns out, in the modern workforce, all generations want the same things of our employers.  The generational “wants” in the workforce are no longer so broad or stereotypical.  

So, to answer the question, is considering millennials the most demanding generation an HR fad or an HR fundamental? …

Hey Gang:  Read the rest of my post (and lots of other great stuff) at The ClearCompany Blog. 

Also:  Here’s How To Register for the ClearCompany Talent Success Conference using the Dawn Magic Discount Code :

Come see me speak, along with wonderful speakers such as Kris Dunn, Libby Sartain, and many others at this year’s ClearCompany Talent Success Conference.  Dates:  September 13 – 14th in the great city of Boston.  And guess what — if you use the “Dawn Magic Conference Code” you’ll get 25% off the registration fee.  

The code is simple to remember:  Just type “DAWN” as the promo code during registration..  

See you there! 

My following piece, originally posted on ALEX by JellyVision, is part one in a three part series titled:  My Toughest Leave Of Absence Situations.

–DHB

There are some experiences that simply fall into your lap. Experiences you don’t see coming and many times aren’t quite prepared for. However, these situations usually teach us the biggest lessons: lessons about patience, empathy and grace. This certainly has been the case during my 17 years as an HR pro, especially when dealing with employee leaves of absence (LoA).

I’m happy to share with you one of my toughest LoA situations and the lesson I learned from it.

A Lesson In Generosity

Early in my HR career I dealt with what was the most trying of all my LoA experiences…

Hey Gang:  Read the rest of my post (and lots of other great stuff) at MEET Alex by Jellyvision. 

Hello Gang – New Episode of No Scrubs VideoCast Up!  How to Help Your Employees Beat Burnout.

No Scrubs is brought to you by Jobvite and Fistful of Talent.

In this episode me and my guest, John Nykolaiszyn, from the College of Business Career Management Services Office at Florida International University, talk first about what sort of career preparation college students are getting prior to graduation, and then go in deep on the topic of burnout.

These days, most tasks workers are faced with, they can’t say no to—so how do we keep employees from falling over the edge with their workloads? Dawn and John dig in and give advice all managers need to hear on keeping your employees sane and safe from burnout.

Check out the video now!

Hey Gang–

On July 25, 12pm Central time, join me and my friends at Clear Company for our webinar, Bigger Isn’t Better:  4 HR Tips To Succeed In Big and Small Business. 

As you know, HR in small business environments can be tough. As the modern worker demands a more engaging work environment, HR is required to think differently. Smaller HR teams wanting to add strategic practices to their tactical scope of work, look to “Big HR” for guidance.

Guess what? The trend in “Big HR” is to start thinking smaller.

In this Webinar, I’ll share current trends that will bring out the best in both small and big HR teams alike.

CLICK HERE to register for this FREE webinar — 

See you there…

Dawn

This is likely a no brainer to most, but it can be tricky, so worth exploring.  I am a big, big advocate for the concept of culture in the workplace.  What does cultural advocacy mean?  It means I believe:

• The way people work around a place is indeed a culture
• Culture is the appropriate word to describe that phenomenon
• Organizations (and their leaders) who understand their culture have a higher chance of achieving corporate goals

I have been fortunate enough to work in HR Leadership roles for companies who have embraced the notion that creating an employee-friendly culture has increased the likelihood of corporate success. I have been very lucky in that regard for any alternative culture probably would not have been a fit for me.

But cultural excellence (for lack of a better word) is hard to navigate.  Very quickly a culture can indeed tiptoe into a cult. So, what is the definition of a cult?

Cult:  a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing.

 Some examples:  Steve Jobs, Starbucks coffee, Apple products, Spanx, Micro-brews, Vinyl records, Ben Platt (look him up), organic vegetables, Scientology/Tom Cruise!

All agree the connotations of the word “cult” is bad.  HR Pros, here are some tips to help ensure your culture remains out of the cult category….

Hey Gang:  Read the rest of my post (and lots of other great stuff) at Fistful Of Talent. 

I am currently in a job transition.  However, this time, before I jump back into the fold, I’ve decided to take a breather from corporate HR.  It’s been a new and enlightening experience for me.  This is the first time since 1996 I’ve had the opportunity to take time between full-time jobs.  That’s a mighty, mighty long time.

Interestingly, although I’ve chosen to take some time, I typically don’t do “limbo” well.  I’m a creature of habit in many regards.  For example, I was at my last job for 7 years.  The job before that 10 years. Other examples? When a McDonald’s employee who served me coffee every day for 2 years was no longer there – it stunk!  Who else knew I was “small coffee, two Splendas”?  When my past company ran out of Coke Zero for a week…the horror.

My point is, even silly transitions can throw you into limbo.

My definition of limbo is…

Read the rest of my post (and lots of other great stuff) at Fistful Of Talent.