Why CSR is the Key to an Effective Employer Brand

Why CSR is the Key to an Effective Employer Brand It’s a candidate’s world out there. There are currently more vacancies than people available to fill them, and a skills-short UK is enabling the most talented workers to cherry-pick their roles. These talented candidates are looking for more than a good pay packet â€" they want meaning from their work. To exert a pull on today’s talent, business success is no longer enough. You now need to focus on ethics and spotlight your company’s Corporate Social Responsibility. Once a marginal business afterthought, CSR has long since moved out of the periphery and into the heart of the boardroom. In today’s saturated high-growth market, it’s the businesses that embrace CSR as part of their long-term strategy that are catching the attention of competitors and candidates alike. 32% of employees would seriously consider leaving their job if their company gave too little money to charity, and 50% of candidates said that a companys CSR policies influenced whether or not they accepted a job offer. It’s time to step up and use your company CSR as a powerful recruitment tool. Here’s our top three tips on harnessing the power of Corporate Social Responsibility to become a talent magnet: 1. Reinforce your core values: Candidates aren’t easily fooled. They’ll be able to tell the difference between a sincere CSR policy and a half-hearted stab at being ethical. You need to revisit your company culture and implement CSR activities that are in full alignment. For example, if you’re a company that claims to pride itself on boldness, candidates will be looking for exciting CSR work such as skydiving for charity or fund-raising off the back of a staff mountain climb. Similarly, if your company ethos prizes creativity, your CSR activity should reflect that with quirky charity challenges and fun awareness-raising competitions. Let’s be frank, donating a pound to charity in a “wear your own clothes to work day” and writing that off as CSR is hardly going to wow today’s socially conscious candidates. Instead, you need to step up and show that your brand and company values are backed up with an aligned Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. Candidates will see that your culture isn’t skin-deep, that your actions match up with your marketing efforts, and that a job within your company will help make a genuine social difference. 2. Exposure, exposure, exposure   Today’s candidates expect transparency. When visiting your website, they want to find out everything they need to know about your business within a few clicks â€" including your ethics. It goes without saying that CSR activities shouldn’t be conducted for the sake of positive PR. There’s a fine line between showcasing your activities and boasting about CSR work for business gains. Yes, share information and updates about your CSR, but don’t do it to the extent that it becomes put-on and preachy. A great way to showcase your ethical activities is through a dedicated page within your website. A custom-built CSR page will show your dedication to adding value, and filling it with killer content about your activities will show the world that you’re a company who cares. Share your press releases, share your photos, share blogs about money raised, interview any charities you’ve worked with or employees who have got involved. Candidates won’t have to look far to learn everything they need to know about your ethics. And of course, post live social media updates if and when you’re involved in a fun CSR activity to drive engagement and share your work with a mass audience.   3.  Engage your employees Don’t underestimate the power of your current employees. More often than not, your current team are equally as powerful as your consumers in getting the word out about business practices. And there’s a growing body of research that shows that employees love to get involved in CSR efforts. In fact, 53% of workers say that “a job where they can make an impact” is important to their happiness, and 72% of students about to enter the workforce agree. The majority of employees stated that they would even be willing to take a pay cut to achieve that goal. Encourage your employees to get involved with CSR work. Not only do they want to make a social difference, they want to do something different in the workplace. Happy, engaged employees speak powerfully about your company and will tell others about it. They’ll share with their social network online, they’ll discuss with friends, and in a short space of time the buzz around your company will grow. Candidates want to work somewhere where they can see that people are happy. Your workforce can be a hidden and underutilised gem in attracting top talent, engage them! With CSR becoming an increasingly important factor in candidate attraction, you can’t afford to neglect it. Get alignment, get exposure and get engagement from your CSR activities and you’ll soon get exceptional recruits. Author:  Roxanne Abercrombie is a professional copywriter and serial blogger. She works as PR, Content and Social Executive for Uniting Ambition, a specialist company that provides recruitment and talent management services to businesses at varying stages of growth, from start-up and medium sized enterprises through to global brands.

How Amazon Giveaways Can Grow Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How Amazon Giveaways Can Grow Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Amazon is the premier place for publishing books and now promoting brand products. Your personal brand can greatly benefit from their giveaway program with your own contests. It takes the right strategy and research to make this successful for your business. Are you struggling with not enough sales? There are literally millions of products to choose from on Amazon that you can use to promote your brand. By focusing on the right target market and staying focused you can attract a larger audience. Giveaways are just one tool that and can also be a sales generator for your personal brand. With a great website that captures leads your audience can become more familiar with what you have to offer them as you provide valuable incentives. How to make the most out of Amazon for your next brand contest There are several ways you can use giveaways to attract more customers to your business. Limited time offer Create a sense of urgency by using a campaign on a first come, first serve basis. The offer ends once all of the prizes are claimed. The limited amount of products can turn this type of contest into a fun experience for your community as they jump in on the action early. Spread the giveaway out over time This type of approach can maximize the number of entrants much like a lottery or scratch off contest. By using this method your brand can increase your website subscribers as the person signing up has to be at the right place at the right time. Save money on advertising The Amazon Giveaway program is free to use for verified account holders. Your business is only responsible for the cost of the products being offered plus any shipping and taxes. Amazon handles all of the communication and transactions for you. Host a giveaway on a guest blog If you are writing for another influencer blog then your brand can include any contests right inside your post. The embed code is simple to include and can help bring more attention to your home website. Amazon is a great resource to tap into when it comes to building your personal brand. In order to make your giveaways the most effective it is good to know ahead of time of who exactly you would like to target and how many products will be available. Include spreading the word on social media and your website in order to gain the most traction.

Whats the Story 5 Tips to Write Great Copy

Whats the Story 5 Tips to Write Great Copy Recruitment rocks!  It is an amazing industry that gives you the opportunity to better understand how people work, it helps hone your communication skills and is constantly evolving, so that you are constantly learning. My particular interest is in “Talent Attraction;” what attracts an applicant to apply, what makes them read on, what motivates them, what language do they speak and how do they want to be spoken to? Great recruiters excel at building relationships and developing trust through communication, by being authentic and honest. Good communication is critical to building meaningful relationships, it often starts with great copy! Back in 1996,   we lived and died by our small semi-display ads in the Evening Standard, and our weekly quarter, or half page in Drapers Record. Each and every advert counted and you earned your right to advertise, and as such you chose your words very carefully. The online advertising world has created a fairer, cheaper, more meritocratic way of attracting applicants, and a whole new industry based on social recruiting was born of out it, but it has also highlighted how poorly some recruiters communicate, how little they understand people and how lazy some of them are! Out of interest I did some research into how companies from across the world are engaging with their applicants, and I specifically looked into the quality of their recruitment advertising. I wasnt entirely surprised by what I found but it did make me think, why the hell are some of the worlds most innovative brands starting their job adverts with the following? “We have a great opportunity,” “We are a leading…” “This role…” “You will be ….” “You’ll have” etc, etc. Agencies more often than not start with “My client…” “This is a great chance…” “We are currently recruiting…” Worse still a great percentage started with no pre amble at all, and simply posted a job spec…yawn! Approximately 85% of job ads sat in these 3 categories. I am sure every recruiter has received copy writing training, but here is a potted version of what I have learnt in the last 20 years. 1. Storytelling is central to human existence: Fact Stories help us make sense of things. Data can persuade but it doesnt inspire. A job spec is factual but dry. You need to create a compelling story that fires up the imagination. Persuasion by story telling enables the individual to understand whether their personal goals and ideas are aligned with your corporate vision. You need to emotionally engage with your audience, hold their attention and utilise verbal cues to help them understand “Why?”    What inspires your business to do what it does, what is its purpose and why do you and the people around you feel so passionate about the brand? (Shout out to Simon Sinek) 2. Job specs and poor copy are white noise: Fact   To be frank if you are too lazy to write proper copy then you deserve to receive poor calibre applications. It takes a little effort to construct a believable story that will captivate the imagination of the audience but it is so worth while. You need transform information into meaning, something the candidate can connect with, something that shouts “THIS IS WORTH YOUR TIME!” Fact: Be authentic and honest Yes your copy needs compelling characters and relatable plots, but it also needs to be authentic and honest. Don’t lie, you will be busted!  Its not just a sales tool, its part of the need to educate and inspire the wider audience. Companies evolve, businesses change and you need to shape the perception and attitude of the brand for the external recruitment market. What words embody what you do and how do you wish to be perceived? Honesty and transparency are essential, a job ad can give the candidate a peek behind the curtain of mystery, that will enable them to see your organisation as work in progress. Don’t be afraid to share that work in progress. 3. Start a movement You can amplify your message through social media but first think about the story you want to tell. Its easy to build a following through story telling, but what is your story? Is it a hero’s journey? Used extensively in folk stories, a difficult journey, defined by overcoming risks and obstacles to achieve great heights. The journey continues and needs a new hero that can demonstrate courage, resourcefulness and an ability to overcome adversity. Your narrative is written to draw in the audience, allowing their imagination to cast themselves as the hero, or as part of a winning team, subsequently becoming part of the story. Alternatively, build your story around a core message that is central to your story. Use other stories and metaphors to explain what the companys purpose is, where is has been, what it has learnt and where it is likely to take them. With the benefit of hindsight and experience the company becomes an enabler of dreams. Or, can you demonstrate brand flexibility unrivalled by many. A predictable story that unexpectedly flounders and starts again. Energised and triumphant. A story of failure, going back, re-assessing, innovating and success, and not afraid of failure. All of these stories need a hero, a hero of yesterday, today and tomorrow. You need to make the candidate feel like they are the hero of the story. 4. Know your audience An advertising hack that could prove a useful tool when creating copy is to produce a “CANDIDATE PERSONA TEMPLATE” In order to know how to speak to your audience, you first need to know what language they speak. Using a template will help you understand what it is that you are looking for and help you decide on what language to use. Who are they? Where do they work? What do they want to achieve? What are their challenges and desires? What sort of characteristics and personality do they have ? Write a quote that describes them in one sentence. Once you have completed your persona template write your narrative with them in mind. 5. Dont be too busy to write good copy You do not save time by publishing poor copy, you are wasting time and you will never attract good candidates, its brand harming and pointless. Invest a little of time at the beginning of the hiring process to understand your audience and tailor your copy. Keep it open, honest and interesting and the quality of the applications you receive will improve, and you will start develop a talent brand. About the Author:  Abigail Klapp  is a Talent Acquisition Expert that works across industry sectors, arming employers with the language and tools of attraction to future proof their talent attraction model.

Managing Your Mental Health In The Face Of A Stressful Career -

Managing Your Mental Health In The Face Of A Stressful Career - Before you gain your graduate degree, before you become promoted at work. Before you hold your first meeting or finally have an idea land in the boardroom.   And before you write a sponsored post or a viral business tweet, before you develop a better sense of who you are as a professional, you are a human. This will be true of anyone you meet in any corporate setting, although of course some people may seem more corporation than person at times.   Reality is that many of us have a stressful career. We can often get so wrapped up in our ‘career identities’ that when something happens, such as a family issue experienced by one of our colleagues, we can remember that at heart, we are all just people doing the best we can to survive. This means that when managing your career, it’s also important to base that on a foundation of managing your mental health. To that extent, especially if you have a stressful career, this becomes more than just a simple task orchestrated to help you get better results. It is a human need. And it’s that which we are keen to help you with: Do Not Hide It It’s not a great character failing to be somewhat confused, or need further guidance. It’s not a great character failing to need to take some time for yourself, but most of all, it’s never a failing to admit you are suffering with an issue. If you find that stress is getting the better of you, simply stuffing it down into the part of yourself that will never admit a problem can only lead you to snap at the worst time. Do not hide it. Speak to your human resources about the issues you are experiencing in a confidential manner. If you can do this, then you will understand how the company perceives you and if they are willing to do something about it. They may suggest sick or compassionate leave for a time, or speak with your manager in order to help your workload become reduced, or at least be more supportive. Modern human resources methods are geared towards understanding how employees are functioning. It is in their vested interested to help you. If they don’t, then you know why to start looking for a job and perhaps needn’t keep these intense burdens you have on your shoulders held to such a high pedigree. Understand That Your Path To Success Is Personal When we watch motivational videos on YouTube, or try to read the inspirational words of any ‘business life coach,’ we can often find that we feel we have to replicate their path completely lest be left out of the secret sauce that can make true results take place. This, of course, is false. It’s important that managing your mental health requires an understanding of your own journey, because then you can be more compassionate with yourself. Speak To A Professional Stress can be its own issue, but it can sometimes be indicative of another cause. It’s best to rule out potential causes to ensure you are not reacting to it badly, or have a hard time processing it. For example, if already suffering from a mental health issue such as undiagnosed trauma, feeling stress can sometimes compound   these issues to the point where naturally venting them is a hard task. Additionally, with the guidance of someone professional helping you keep in touch with healthy habits and practices, or even recommending a more direct course of action, you will be in the best hands. While many of us are used to relying on ourselves and consider our professional candor to be something that revels in achievement, it’s best not to think you can simply sort it all out yourself. Work/Life Balance A work/life balance that is carefully symmetrical as much as possible can be an important thing to manage, particularly if also trying to raise a family. This is where you might refuse a promotion because of the added hours it could ascertain, consider becoming a consultant rather than join the boardroom, or perhaps find out what works for you. In other words, being overly convinced that you need to climb the corporate ladder at all costs is not the healthiest path forward. It’s not always such a bad idea to know that you can move on if you want, or take an alternate angle, despite what you may have thought in the past. Of course, being grateful for a job is one thing, but also doing what is right for you can have knock on effects. This is why those who were the regional manager for a large corporation might give up their high salary and open an animal shelter, or why certain people drop out to make their own businesses despite no guarantee of success. Choosing an alternate path doesn’t necessarily mean that you will enjoy better mental health management, but keep your options open can certainly help you feel less restricted on a daily basis. Stressful Career?   Locate The Source Of The Stress What is the source of your stress? Is it many combined issues, or one or two things that are occuring? If it’s workplace harassment, then you should do all you can to report it and find others who might be keeping quiet despite this treatment. If it’s that you’re struggling to get enough sleep at night, visiting a sleep doctor or enacting better sleep hygiene techniques could be the next vital step to your important health remedies. Or if it’s feeling frayed at the edges when chakra healing or meditation could help you come back down to the Earth, it’s important to try that. When you understand the source of stress, you can address it. Stress does not happen in a vacuum, but it can certainly be dealt with. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t, after all. Remember, this is a process above all. With this advice, you should be able to better manage your mental health.   Even in a busy and stressful career.

Denver Resume Writing Classes Is Essential

Denver Resume Writing Classes Is EssentialIf you are looking for the best way to make your resume stand out from the rest, Denver resume writing classes are your best option. Those who attend these classes are given expert advice on the creation of the perfect resume. One of the things that these professionals teach is how to write an effective job description and cover letter that go along with it.People who have been in the employment service center know how important this kind of training is. Once you go to a job interview, the interviewer is going to see your entire background. You want to make sure that they feel as though you are the best person for the job because of your professional experience.There are many other ways to get your resume out there but some people opt to send it out through local job fairs or drop shippers. Sending them through these types of companies can work out in your favor, but not if it does not stand out from the rest. If you send out a resume to ever y company, you could possibly be wasting a lot of time and effort.If you want to go the professional route, you can take a few steps to learn some of the secrets to getting your resume noticed. A very important tip that you need to understand is the importance of having a professional resume cover letter. This is going to set you apart from the competition.In order to have an effective cover letter, you need to understand certain areas of the job that you want to include. A good example would be if you were applying for a specific position in a nursing home. Your cover letter should discuss the specialty of the nursing staff.By doing this, you are showing your employer that you are employable individuals. The second tip that Denver resume writing classes will help you learn isto know what to include on your cover letter. This is the area where most people are failing to get their point across.Knowing what you should write down will give you an advantage when writing one of these let ters. What should you include is something that you are comfortable writing. If you are the type of person who is afraid to speak their mind, then this is probably not the best step for you to take.These are all things that you need to know in order to make sure that you are prepared. Denver resume writing classes are very important. If you want to be able to give a resume to a potential employer, then you will need to take the time to learn these tips.

How to Avoid the 7 Worst Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make - Kathy Caprino

How to Avoid the 7 Worst Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make Courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net In my previous role as VP of Marketing in the corporate arena, and in the past 10 years of advising entrepreneurs and small businesses in their marketing efforts (and in my own business), I’ve seen great marketing strategies and tactics implemented, as well as terrible ones. In tough economic times like these, as in all times, small businesses must be very prudent in their investments and marketing, and understand exactly what to expect in terms of their return on investment. Below are the top seven marketing blunders I see each and every day that are catastrophic to small business   success: 1)   Your business model is flawed I’ve worked with scores of coaches, consultants and advisers over the years who’ve made the mistake of jumping into a new business that depends solely on one model that will never work for them â€" a model that can’t provide sustainable, consistent income or support what these business owners truly want to do in their work. For example, many types of coaches are dependent on the hourly-payment model (getting clients who pay by the hour for sessions), yet are not able to generate enough clients each month to pay their bills. Look at your model and do the math â€" if you’re stuck with a model that’s not working, don’t keep your head stuck in the sand. Open your eyes to what your situation is telling you. You need new ways to generate income â€" different services, formats, approaches, products and programs that offer your expertise in new ways that will provide ongoing, consistent revenue. If you keep doing what isn’t working, you’ll fail miserably. 2) Your focus is misplaced In my workshops and seminars, I commonly hear entrepreneurs obsessed with concerns about blogging, twitter, Facebook and other social media endeavors, when they dont have a way to earn money in their business.   Dont focus your time on social media or building an audience before youve figured out what youre doing in your business what you want to provide, offer, or sell.   Get clear on your offers first and creating viable products and services. Then you can worry about tweeting and blogging. 3)   Your audience is a mismatch Another serious marketing problem is that the audience you’ve attracted â€" through your writing, speaking, or services is not the audience or community you need or want. I’ve seen examples of new coaches, for instance, who aren’t sustaining themselves through one-on-one coaching, so they decide to offer high-end mastermind group coaching programs ($50,000 for an 6-month mastermind, for example) because they see others do it. They expect to send out a newsletter to their audience, and instantly generate 10 customers at this level. But it doesn’t work this way (despite what scores of “millionaire” success coaches promise if you buy their services.)   For your high-end programs to work, you must have an audience that wants it and can afford it.   You also have to have created a fabulous program that is worth that price tag (in its outcomes and value the customer receives). As one who believes that everything is “energy,” I’ve seen that you must also be able to resonate energetically with a sense of worthiness and value   in order to earn the level of money you want (check out Gay Hendricks great book The Big Leap to learn about the “upper limit problem” so many people experience).   If you have internal fears and doubts about the value of your programs, you won’t be able to attract great fees. Finally, you need access to a large enough audience that will resonate with your products, pricing, and your particular service benefits.   This doesn’t happen overnight. You can’t just throw out an expensive product and expect folks to flock to it just because you’ve created it. 4)   You don’t like what you’ve created Another serious marketing mistake is that you’ve decided to focus on a service offering or a customer base that you simply don’t like, because you thought you had to. I can’t count the number of small businesses I’ve advised around this issue, and how distraught the owner is in the realization that what she’s created is now the wrong fit for what she wants to do in the world.   If you hate what you’ve built and who you’re serving, you have two choices â€" continue supporting something that is no longer aligned with your values and preferences, or change directions. Which do you think makes the most sense? (Here’s a tip â€" if you hate your customers or what you’re doing in the world, it will hate you back). 5)     Your pricing is off Pricing of your programs and products is not about what you want to earn â€" it’s about what the market will bear, as well as the perceived value of what you’re offering. You may think your product is life-changing or the best thing since sliced bread, but if it’s simply too expensive or ill-fitted for the audience you’re reaching, you won’t get it off the ground. 6)   Your services don’t stand out In every business or consulting arena, you’re in a global economy, competing against the best of the best in the world.   You have to know specifically what makes your products and services better, different, unique than everything that’s out there, and be adept at communicating that. Why should anyone care about what you have to offer, and how can you prove and validate that what you have is truly different or better? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you won’t succeed in this highly competitive terrain. 7)     You lack the readiness and willingness to do what’s required Marketing your business (or your book, product, service, etc.) is a full-time job. If you’re not willing to do it, you have to hire someone who is or get marketing support in another way.   People won’t just flock to you, with cash in their hands. You have to earn their trust and respect over time, through engagement, service, information, and relationship-building.   And you need ambassadors for your work as well. You can’t do this alone and in a vacuum. How to avoid these seven marketing mistakes? Start by answering the following questions.   If you don’t have the answers, go back to the drawing board and figure them out before you take one more step in your business: 1)   What is your platform â€" how do you get the word out about your products/services? 2)   What is your audience the size, and their geographic, demographic and psychographic   profiles? 3)   How can you grow your audience substantially? What is your reach and how do you spread the word about your work? 4)   Who is in your loyal community (colleagues, peers and supporters) and how can you build it â€" who are your committed ambassadors who will share the news about your great business and offerings? 5)   What makes your services and products different, better, unique than anything else on the market? 6)   Are your services, pricing, and offerings a match to the people who know about you and care about what you’re doing? 7)     What is your personal brand â€" what unique experience do you deliver and what is your business known for emotionally, aesthetically and functionally? If you care about making your small business work, don’t spend another minute wasting money, time and energy on directions that won’t be fruitful. Find an adviser or support system that can guide you through the landmines of entrepreneurial life, and help you achieve what you want to, and earn the money you need, while making the difference you long to. (If you need help growing your business, download my free Business Overview Assessment   and check out my new Prosperity Marketing Mindset coaching program to help you understand what steps to take next.)

Inside The Mind of a Successful Manager - CareerAlley

Inside The Mind of a Successful Manager - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners.1 Pepperdine University Online MBA Degree This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook