In the past few weeks I’ve written in spurts. Sometimes I’ll get a lot of posts out and sometimes it’s more of a trickle. Sometimes I get guest posts out to help other people keep up their frequency even though mine sometimes is lower than I’d like. Well, I had intended to write a post today. But then I remembered that I have something more important going on.

Next Tuesday (September 14th), I am going to be speaking at my local SHRM chapter’s luncheon. Yeah, I’m kind of surprised, too.

It all started when a few of the chapter officers followed some links from the SHRM chapter blog that I write. Those links led to some different posts here, and they reached out to me to see if I would be interested in talking to the chapter.

I am so not interested in talking about me for an hour, so I’m trying to make it about the audience and how what I have learned can benefit them. So far I’ve narrowed it down to two big things: passion and professional development.

Everything I do outside of work springs from my passion for this field. And that enthusiasm has led to some amazing professional development opportunities, including attending the SHRM10 conference, cofounding HRevolution, participating in my local SHRM chapters’s mentoring group, and chairing the HRYP committee for SHRM. Just for kicks, I also want to share things I’ve screwed up on, because that’s how I (and everyone else) learns the hard lessons.

So, I’m not writing a blog post today. Not at all. I’m writing the outline for my presentation. Nothing to see here. Move along.

What I’m doing and not doing today is a post from: UpstartHR

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Technical difficulties

Hey, everyone! If you’ve dropped by the site (or checked your email/RSS subscriptions) in the past 24 hours, you might have seen some wacky stuff. My original website was set up on WordPress.com. When I moved to upstartHR.com, I had to redirect the old website. Yesterday that redirection failed for a little while, causing the old website to show and my old posts to be reposted to RSS/email. If you were caught up in that snafu, I’m sorry about that!

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

An apology and a few shout outs is a post from: UpstartHR

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• What I’m doing and not doing today

Since my beautiful girls were born, I have been sleep deprived beyond my wildest imaginings. Paradoxically, I’ve had my brain crushed with different ideas to write on. The only issue is that some of them are probably pretty crappy, and my filter isn’t up to snuff at this point. So I crowdsourced my thinking and let you guys tell me what you wanted to hear. Each of the commenters listed below will receive a $10 gift card for their help. Those cards will be used to donate to a project to help others around the world courtesy of GlobalGiving. Thanks again for your help, ladies and gentlemen!

Naomi
I would like to see ideas about how a person would use their GPHR designation. It sounds fun and interesting to have that specialty, but if someone is not already working in an international assignment (or if they want to try a new twist) what are some of the options for work? It would be great to learn about some of the world changing positions to which we can aspire!

Laurel Picard
I think that Succession Planning is probably one of the toughest things to approach as a young HR professional. So many companies are facing critical skilled labour shortages, but young HR professionals don’t always have the experience to address this issue.
It ties in nicely with all sorts of other good HR topics too, like leadership development and flexible work arrangements.

Steve Browne
I’d like you to talk about passion for the field. I’m excited that young HR professionals are much broader in their scope, desire and balance. How are they going to maintain that in a workforce that tends to want to limit passion and creativity?

From personal experience, it takes a determination and an environment that fosters true passion, but I’d love to hear your take on it!

Michael Haberman
I would like you to address the issue of being a young MAN in a profession now dominated by women. How have you been accepted by your employer, by your peers, and by your local HR leadership? Anything special you have had to do to gain credibility?

Lois Melbourne
Since you are a new Daddy I would like to hear from a man’s perspective the balancing act of family and work. How can companies help Dads with this balance too.

Bruce Dodge
I think that perspectives on what really builds engagement on a company Facebook site and what prospective recruits are looking for when they check it our would be great.

Latina Culture
What about dealing with “overqualified” people who would do a great job and really need the job? How do you deal with the “fear” or concern they may be in the job for only a year and then look to internally promote?

Raina
How about the relationship between HR and the managers of the company? By bringing value and tools to them, you grow as a trusted partner and resource.

This leads them to go to you first before issues grow out of control. You can touch on ongoing training programs HR can implement to help managers recruit, coach, identify, and prevent potential problems and issues.

Look for posts coming to answer these questions in the coming weeks! If you have something that you would like to add (but you missed the cutoff), just let me know in the comments below. I’m sure the sleep deprivation will last for a while.

You told me what to write is a post from: UpstartHR

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It seems like just yesterday that I reached out to Alison Green, author of the amazing Ask a Manager career advice blog, to see if she would be interested in writing an eBook to help job seekers. Today, that dream is a reality!

What it touches on

• how to stop sabotaging your job search
• how to avoid the companies that aren’t a good fit
• how to craft a resume and cover letter that will catch a hiring manager’s eye
• how to answer the most common interview questions
• how to talk about sensitive issues when you interview — firings, bad bosses, “overqualification,” and more
• the secret to handling rejection

My fave part

Even with all those cool features above, my favorite part is still the section on questions to ask your own interviewer. It’s been something I’ve always been interested in, and I love hearing the questions that a hiring manager wants to hear from job seekers.

What you need to do

Order now, even if you have a great job. Why? Well, first you’ll get it for the super low price (it goes up in just 48 hours!). And second, when you’re ready to move on to another job (there’s always another job), you’ll have this handy dandy guide to help you get through the transition.

Click here to get the How to Get a Job: Secrets of a Hiring Manager

Hiring manager secrets to getting a job… is a post from: UpstartHR

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The other day there was a popular post on the HR Minion blog about cliques. I had a good time reading it, but the comments were great, too! Go here to read the post and then come back when you’re done. I’ll wait.

Okay, then we roll some comments from people who I trust and respect.

I think another point that you didn’t really hit on is the transparency of social media. What used to be fairly private relationships built over e-mail, phone and in person conversations have now gone public. If I don’t follow back someone I don’t know very well on Twitter, it is a cliquish thing to do (something I’ve been called out for).

That’s not clique, that’s human. We only have a capacity for so many connections. Those ebb and flow as time goes on (I don’t believe in connection collections). When this happened in a more private setting, nobody thought it was cliquish because it wasn’t visible. Now it is.

I try to be open with people about it without sounding like a dick and without some sort of “I’m more important than you” attitude. It isn’t about what they’re doing, it is simply a capacity issue. Something I’ve learned the hard way.

Lance Haun

I can certainly understand the number of connections issue. On to another good comment…

As someone who sits on the edge of the HR world I am neutral on the clique being a good thing. No doubt there is a wealth of information that is freely shared. And yes it is a friendly group.

But I do think that frequently it feels as if the only HR “cool kids” are the ones on Twitter or have a Facebook Page.

Certainly not the case.

Are there really only 10-15 (give or take) HR bloggers worth reading? One might think so by looking at the rolls on most sites.

Being the most vocal, the loudest or attending all the conferences and events does not make one worth listening to.

Paul DeBettignies

I don’t have a blogroll (a list of links pointing to other sites I recommend). I had one when I started blogging, but I quickly got tired of feeling like I was leaving people out, so I dumped it and haven’t regretted it a bit. I’m much more open to linking to people in context where it matters most (like the comments above).

Is it a clique, though?

I feel like an outsider myself at times. My blog traffic isn’t earth-shattering, and there are plenty of people with more brains, experience, and writing ability than me. I try to be inclusive of those around me, but I’m especially helpful to the people just getting into the space. They need extra support or they might drop off completely.

I think there are phases to this thing. Once you move past beginner, you are open to recruiting and mentoring others. If you advance to content creation, you have to cut back on the recruiting/mentoring, because you have something else swallowing a big piece of your time. That might be why another commenter said this (emphasis mine)…

This post is fascinating and challenging at the same time.

I have been active in the “HR Community” long before social media and have loved every frustrating minute of it !!

Social Media has actually allowed me to connect with others who are passionate about our field. When you’re passionate (and not apologetic) about HR, people tend to shun you.

Most HR folks love living in their self-imposed silo of misery and it’s well past time to destroy those silos.

I love being connected, active and “branded” in social media because I get to meet folks. Other great humans with diverse thought and approaches that I never would have known if it weren’t for Twitter, Linked In, Facebook, etc.

I don’t have a blog. May never have one. Like guest posting and infiltrating so much more.

Shauna – way to shake the tree a bit !!

If this is a clique – I’m in. I think it’s just great people that want to know each other and get others connected.

Steve Browne

My goal with this gig

I want to meet new people in the online HR space. I want to reach out to the new and aspiring bloggers out there. If you have one post or a full archive, you still are worth reaching out to in my opinion. If you’re just exploring Twitter or LinkedIn, I’m open to helping you as well. I just want to freaking help, darn it!

Am I a part of a community? Yes. Am a a part of multiple communities? Yes. It’s up to the new people to reach out and attempt to integrate themelves, because there’s no way for me (or anyone else) to find all the people who aren’t plugged in yet. I’m a rabid advocate for joining online communities, and I certainly wouldn’t be if I thought the groups were closed or cliquish.

In fact, just to show my openness to you newbies who want to get involved, I will share my email address and offer a guaranteed personal response if you email me. Also, if you’re interested in getting involved but don’t know how, I would love to assist!

How to get started

How did I get connected when I started this thing? I stared reaching out and sharing ideas with those people I admired. Eventually they started treating me like an equal. I love using the metaphor of an ability scale. For instance, I see people like Kris Dunn as a 9 or 10 on the scale. I see myself somewhere near the middle, and I see the newbies like my friend John Jorgenson nearer to the lower end of the scale (he’s going to love me for that one! ).

If you’re just getting started on the front end, you just need to keep doing like John and Kris-help others, reach out to meet new people, and try to add some value to this online community. It works.

Finally, a quick congrats to Shauna for getting the Monster 5 for Friday award for this post!

My comments section isn’t as cool as the ever-lovin’ HR Minion’s, but I can dream, huh?

Cliques, Why I Exist, and How to Join In is a post from: UpstartHR

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I heart Diet Mountain Dew

Leadership lessons from the 1920s? Feedback tips from a sign at Wal-Mart? Working with people who make you want to smash your face into a wall? No, I haven’t gone off the deep end (well, any more than normal, anyway). I’ve been playing in other peoples’ sandboxes! And I have to admit, it’s pretty darn fun.

I have several guest posts that went live (fairly recently) elsewhere that you may have missed. Some of them might be a bit different flavor than the usual upstartHR offerings, so be sure to check them out!

If you’re interested in seeing some of my previous escapades, click here for the Guest Post Blitz archive.

I’m usually pretty long-winded, but I took a different approach with my post for Trish at HR Ringleader. This super short post teaches a few feedback lessons…

Lisa Rosendahl of Simply Lisa has been a great resource for me, and one of the first things I realized about her early in my career is that being a leader and being in HR aren’t mutually exclusive. That’s why I shared a post with her on leadership lessons across the ages. Plus, bonus coolness, it was chosen by Wally Bock (one of the best leadership guys around!) as a leadership post of the week!

I’ve mentioned my role in helping Alison Green create a resource on how to interview well. Well, I wrote a post for CAREEREALISM (one of my favorite career sites) talking about interviewing and its resemblance to endurance sports.

Long, long ago (in a galaxy far far away) sorry, that was Star Wars. Anyway, earlier this summer, I did a post for Krista Francis of Alive HR on friendliness and personal development. I think we’ve all faced one of those people, and I just had to spill my guts about the experience.

Oh, and sorta sidetracking, but Melanie and I finally got the story up on our adoption blog about the day the girls were born. Not sure if anyone wants to know, but it’s there if you do.

Finally, I did a video recently on working with meaning and purpose. The guys over at Rypple liked it so much they asked for permission to share it on their Make Work Meaningful site. Awesome!

Whew! Staying busy, huh? Is there a guest post in there that you particularly like? If so, which one?

Guest Post Blitz #7 is a post from: UpstartHR

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There are a few things I enjoy talking about, but workplace violence isn’t one of them. However, after the horrendous shooting at UAH (the University of Alabama in Huntsville) earlier this year, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before I covered the issue.

What I’ll remember

I was sitting in my supervisor’s office with a coworker for a short meeting. It was a Friday afternoon, so the meeting was considerably less serious than usual. We were cracking jokes and talking when we suddenly started hearing sirens outside. Within minutes stories began trickling in: there had been a shooting across the street at UAH. I went back to my office, finished up, and headed home. My brothers were attending UAH at the time, and I received word that they were okay. As I passed the school, I saw dozens of police cars and medical vehicles parked outside. I still get chills when I remember the scene outside as I passed by.

What happened that day

UAH professor Dr. Amy Bishop has been charged with murder in connection with a deadly shooting that killed three people and injured three more Friday afternoon.

Huntsville police spokesman Sgt. Mark Roberts said Bishop was charged Saturday morning with one count of capital murder.

Bishop, 42, was taken Friday night in handcuffs from a police precinct to the county jail and could be heard telling TV reporters, “It didn’t happen. There’s no way…. they are still alive.”

From AL.com

The basic back story was that Bishop was going to be denied tenure, so she came to work with a gun and shot several of her coworkers. So, what’s the lesson for everyone here? There are a few.

• Don’t ignore the signs
• Background checks help, but they’re not a magic bullet
• Take threats seriously

Taking the lessons to heart

“When I first heard about this, about a woman being accused of committing mass murder, I thought, ‘I’ll bet she has some other episodes of violence in her past,’ ” said Sandy Capps, from American Behavioral in Birmingham. “And as her story continues to unravel, we’re seeing that she did.”

Capps was referring to Bishop, 45, shooting and killing her brother in 1986. At the time Bishop, who was then 19 or 20, said it was an accident that happened when she was trying to unload the family’s shotgun. A report written by Massachusetts State Police concurred with that.

However, the police chief from Braintree, Mass., told the media that the matter was pretty much swept under the rug even though Bishop fired three shotgun blasts in the home and then used the gun in an attempted car-jacking.

According to The Boston Globe, Bishop’s mother, Judith Bishop, had served on the Braintree Police personnel board.

Also, Bishop was questioned in the attempted mail bombing of a professor at Harvard University – where she completed a doctorate degree in genetics – but was never charged.

Capps said the psychological profile of someone who would commit such a violent act in the workplace is a person who boasts about his abilities, doesn’t believe he is being treated as well as he should be by his colleagues, touts his education and intelligence to being superior as those around him, has obsessive behaviors, holds grudges, doesn’t respond well to criticism and is very focused on the appearance of things.

But can’t those attributes also be signs of a bad personality, not a potential killer?

“Sure they can,” Capps said. “Or they can be the signs of a ticking time bomb. And right now, there are employers all over the country saying, ‘I’ve got that person in cubicle A that sounds just like that.’”
Rather than having every employer be paranoid about all their employees, Capps said the smartest thing is to do thorough background checks and “make good hires.” Also, she said managers need to be trained to recognize “troubled employees.”

“I’m a big believer in not ignoring the small stuff,” she said.

LaTasha Davis, stepdaughter of the murdered professor Maria Davis, told ‘Good Morning America’ Monday, she’s angry that Bishop was allowed on the UAH campus.

“How did she even get a job working at the school when she had that type of background?” Davis asked.

As far as background checks go, Sheila Benson, president of Employment Screening Services in Birmingham, said even a decent background check might not have clued UAH that Bishop had a sketchy background.

After receiving her doctorate, Bishop worked at Harvard for 10 years as a fellow and research associate before she came to UAH.

“We’ve become such a litigious nation, (human resources) people don’t tend to offer up information that is negative,” Benson said. “Even though (Harvard personnel) were aware of these things, they probably wouldn’t acknowledge it unless someone came right out and asked them, and who would think to ask that?”
Because Bishop didn’t go to trial for the killing of her brother or in the attempted pipe bombing, there were no legal trails for UAH to follow in its background check.

According to the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, anything short of a conviction (such as an arrest or a dismissal) can only be reported after seven years if the individual makes more than $70,000.
Bishop wasn’t hired at UAH until 17 years after her brother’s death.

“One would think because it was an endangerment issue, (Harvard officials) would have shared what they knew about her shooting her brother and (the pipe bomb investigation),” Benson said. “But HR generally gives very limited info.

“My suggestion is always going to be to have a third party do the background check – and maybe UAH did – just so there’s someone looking over your shoulder to get as much information as you can.”

UAH President Dave Williams, who came to the college in 2008, said Monday a review of Bishop’s employment records show there was no criminal background check performed on her when she was hired in 2003. He said Bishop had three strong letters of recommendation, and those documents supported the university’s hiring of her.

From AL.com

Again, I hate writing about topics like this, but it needs to be said. People need to know what to look for and be aware of, because you never know when something like this can happen to you or someone you care about.

The Canadian version of OSHA has a free 20 minute course on workplace violence awareness. I encourage you to check it out and share this post with people you know who might benefit.

UAH Shooting: Workplace Violence in My Backyard is a post from: UpstartHR

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