A few months ago I had the opportunity to participate in a group eBook project run by my good friend Chris Ferdinandi. It was a really great experience and I love sharing the eBook with others. Anyway, I was asked by my buddy Rich from Corn on the Job to participate in another guide with a career focus, and I leaped at the opportunity. I did it not only because Rich asked, but because I also love talking about career concepts. My first writing gig was with a career site, after all!
Author Archives: Ben
Work with meaning and purpose
One of my passions, if you’ve never had the opportunity to hear it directly from my lips, is helping others to find work they love. When someone has a job that is meaningful to them, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. They can take something as simple as customer service and make it their own. I want to work with people who have passion for what they do.
By the way, I’m rocking my new favorite T-shirt from HRevolution in this short video. Thanks, Rypple! Continue reading
Carnival of HR: What it is and why you need it
Every two weeks there is a meeting of the minds. There is an event that occurs that, while relatively unknown, has long-term implications for the profession that I love. It affects the HR community, and it often draws a crowd of participants and spectators from around the globe. It’s the HR Carnival.
What it is
Your brain
The Carnival of HR is a free collection of stories and articles by some of the brightest minds in HR thought leadership. Every two weeks you can find it at a different website. All you have to do is stop in, read anything that interests you, and share it with someone else who might enjoy it.
The most recent edition focused on the SHRM conference and what attendees did or didn’t learn (see the Post-SHRM Breakdown article here). The whole process is powered solely by volunteers who want to help others to learn and grow. I wrote a post months ago about the HR blog carnival and how to make a difference. It’s a great addendum to this post.
My first ever Carnival of HR was last year, and the title was a fun idea I had to get a little attention. Check out 25 Pieces of HR Awesomeness if you’d like to see an example of a Carnival.
Why you need it
Your brain on HR
Most people (including those in the esteemed profession of human resources) stop learning and growing once they get into a job they are comfortable with. That’s not a jab or a complaint, it’s just a fact.
A big goal of mine is helping people love what they do. When you are constantly learning and growing, you enjoy what you do so much more. So give the Carnival of HR a shot. Anything that has a name that festive has to be pretty great, right? :-)
Bonus challenge
Okay, I might have convinced you to check out the carnival by now. If so, that’s fantastic! If not, I’ll ask you this-do you like helping people, sharing neat stuff, and/or building your own credibility? I’m betting that everyone wants to say, “Yes” to that question.
Doing things as small as sharing resources can help others to see you as a credible expert. I’ve shared interesting articles with my own boss that eventually filtered through to other VP’s in the company; those VP’s then stopped by to chat about some of the debatable points in those articles. In the future, if a problem comes up relating to the topic of those conversations we had, then I’m going to be remembered as a solid resource. All that just from sharing a few articles a handful of times.
Going even further
If you ever get wild and crazy and would like to not only read and share the items in the Carnival of HR, but maybe even write something to be added to the Carnival, feel free to contact me about it. I’d love to help.
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The Toughest Interview Question…
Today\’s guest post comes from Benjamin McCall. He runs ReThinkHR.org (subscribe to the RSS) and specializes in OD, T&D and business strategy. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenjaminMcCall. He’s a fantastic guy with a lot of great ideas. He also contributed a piece to the HR Ninja series a while back, and I’m glad he decided to let me share this post!
‘The’ toughest interview question… Is the one you have not prepared for or have never answered!
I could also say that the toughest interview question would be all of them. Continue reading
Need help with new eBook on SHRM chapters
So, if that incredibly illustrative title didn’t explain the purpose of this post, maybe I can make it clearer. :-) I’m working on my next eBook, and I’m hanging with my love of the verb “rock” for its powerful imagery (as in Rock the PHR) with the working title “Rock Your Chapter.” I want it to be a resource not only for those thousands of participants who struggle through yet another wasted chapter meeting, but also a resource for the leaders and volunteers who can make or break a chapter’s success.
Free stuff
I want to give a free advance copy to everyone who helps out with the survey. While I’m on the topic of help… Continue reading
Being aware of your culture and values (Video)
So. How’s your culture? Are you paying attention to it? What’s it like? Do people love it? Hate it? Want to burn it to the ground, bulldoze the ashes, and nuke the whole mess?
I jest, but it’s a serious question. Have you ever taken the time to just sit and think about the culture and values your organization embodies? I’d hope that it would be a pleasant experience, but there’s really no way for me to answer that for you. What do you think? Are you proud to talk about what your organization does and values, or does it make you a little queasy? Check the video below for a few ideas I have regarding culture and values and let me know what your thoughts are.
I just realized the audio and video tracks are off. Get ready for a funny video that looks like an old Japanese horror film. :-)
(Subscribers may have to click through to view the video.) Continue reading
How to get started in social media with Mike Vandervort (Video)
There are a lot of people out there who talk about using social media. I sometimes try to stay away from the topic, because I don’t want to overload anyone, but then I talk with people like Mike VanDervort who are true champions for the social tools out there. Mike is a well-known HR blogger, and I had the pleasure of leading a blogging session with him at HRevolution. Mary Ellen Slayter interviewed him at SHRM10, and I think this is worth watching for anyone who is looking for reasons for the everyday HR pro (of which Mike is a great example) to use social media.
(Subscribers may have to click through to view the video.) Continue reading