The 50 Best Places To Work In 2012

It’s that time of year again: Glassdoor has released its list of 50 best places to work in 2012! The list, “Best Places to Work — Employees’ Choice” is the fourth annual employee’s choice awards for best companies to work for. Below, see the companies and corresponding ratings.

1. Bain & Company: 4.7
2. McKinsey & Company: 4.3
3. Facebook: 4.3
4. MITRE: 4.1
5. Google: 4.0 
6. CareerBuilder: 4.0
7. Slalom Consulting: 4.0
8. REI: 4.0
9. Trader Joe’s: 4.0
10. Apple: 3.9
11. General Mills: 3.9
12. Rackspace: 3.9
13. Salesforce.com: 3.9
14. United Space Alliance: 3.9
15. Dow Chemical: 3.9
16. Chevron: 3.8
17. Southwest Airlines: 3.8
18. National Instruments: 3.8
19. Wayfair: 3.8
20. Citrix Systems: 3.8
21. QUALCOMM: 3.8
22. SAP America: 3.8
23. Costco Wholesale: 3.8
24. J. Crew: 3.8
25. Procter & Gamble: 3.7
26. Fluor: 3.7
27. Reachlocal: 3.7
28. Johnson & Johnson: 3.7
29. Monsanto Company: 3.7
30. NetApp: 3.7
31. Morningstar: 3.6
32. Intel Corporation: 3.6
33. Disney Parks & Resorts: 3.6
34. Starbucks: 3.6
35. NIKE: 3.6
36. Cleveland Clinic: 3.6
37. Coach: 3.6
38.  Ernst & Young: 3.6
39. Sephora USA: 3.6
40. Groupon: 3.6
41. Goldman Sachs: 3.6
42. Intuit: 3.6
43. Accenture: 3.6
44. Nordstrom: 3.6
45. PricewaterhouseCoopers: 3.6
46. Eli Lilly: 3.6
47. MTV Networks: 3.6
48. Scottrade: 3.5
49. NVIDIA: 3.5
50. FedEx: 3.5

What makes a good workplace? A recent article, 4 Factors That Influence Employees’ Views Of Their Workplace, says that education, age, gender and geographic location are important to employees. Also, employees like feedback — see How To Communicate Appreciation To Employees, — and motivation — see Study Reveals The Secret For Motivating Workers.

by KATE D'AMICO on JANUARY 10, 2012

10 Mobile Apps That Will Keep You On Your HR & Social Media Game

Small business owners are always looking for ways to integrate social media into their already extremely busy day.  As a social media coach, I do try to help small business owners learn how to integrate social media into their marketing strategies. One of the most effective ways to do this is to take your social media strategy mobile. 

It’s predicted that by the end of 2014, mobile use of the web will have outstripped desktop access. It’s clear that taking social media on the go saves time and energy – you can tweet while waiting in line at the bank, you can blog while riding the train and you can read RSS feeds while sitting in traffic (when you’re not moving, of course). While most of us have the necessary and very helpful mobile apps for Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and Foursquare (and if you don’t – download then now!) there are many others apps that can help you stay on top of your social media game.

Ten Apps That Will Keep You On Your Social Media Game

●      HootSuite: This mobile dashboard allows you to manage your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Foursquare accounts while on the go. You can schedule posts and tweets, add updates, track click stats and set up tracking columns to monitor keywords, hashtags and lists. 

●      Google Search: This app allows you to search the web faster and easier. It has features like voice search to allow you to search while on the go without needing to type, Google Goggles, which allows you to take a photo of what you see to get more info about products or landmarks and it allows users to find places near them without typing their location. 

●      NetNewsWire: An RSS reader for your iPhone. This allows you to read the news from millions of blogs and sites that publish RSS feeds. A definite must for those who need to fill wait times – either in line, on the bus or waiting for clients. You can star items or send them to instapaper to save them for later. You can also e-mail articles or post the links to Twitter.

●      PitchEngine: PitchEngine is a web-based service that helps people create content-rich media releases.  The mobile app allows businesses and organizations to create portable, one-page PR sites, with images and videos and publish it to the world, all while being away from the office. 

●      Buffer: Like the desktop version, the mobile version of Buffer app lets you schedule both Facebook and Twitter posts while on the go. Buffer allows you to spread your updates throughout the day. You can add updates easily with the bookmarklet whenever you are reading an article in your browser. 

●      Card Munch: This app by LinkedIn is a great way to turn business cards into contacts, with LinkedIn integration. You can easily convert business cards by scanning the card with the card reader and uploading the information without needing to type. Very useful at business meetings, conventions, trade shows and networking events. 

●      Mobile Payment app: With the mobile age, it is critical for merchants to find new  ways for to close deals and accept payments when they’re on the go. There are many  mobile app tools that enable businesses to process transactions and payments, with next day direct deposit to your bank account. I didn’t include a specific app as it depends in which country you are doing buisness in. Square, Intuit GoPayment are for US based banking, while Payfirma is Canadian. It is well worth looking into a mobile merchant app for your business. 

●      Vignature: With most businesses going mobile, its important to be able to access and legally sign documents while on the go. Vignature lets you access your documents from email or dropbox and open it within the app. You tap to sign and pose for a photograph. Your image is integrated into your signature, along with a date stamp. You can then email the signed document to yourself and any other required recipient. 

●      Wordpress for iOS: With WordPress for iOS you can easily manage your WordPress blog or website from your iOS device. You can moderate comments, create or edit posts, add images and video. You can now write, edit and mangage your blog while waiting for the bus or riding the train to work. 

●      G-Whizz: This Google Apps Browser is a great way to access all your Google Apps, even from a non-android phone.  You have access to over 20 apps right on your smart phone including Google Docs, reader, Google Voice, Gmail, plus Facebook and Twitter. You can send free text messages, track your schedule with Google Calendar, get driving directions and stay up to date with Google News.

Posted by:Ali Goldfield

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13 Secrets to Long Tail Keyword Selection

Rand Fish of SEOmoz covers the art and science of choosing long tail keywords that will convert for your business. All HR & marketing professionals should see this video. http://bit.ly/sGMTl0

What to Ask as You Start 2012: Why Would Somebody Work For You?

As we enter the doors of 2012, the prognosticators have all given their respective thoughts on what is coming into focus for the year.These are all great readings, but if you have survived these past few years of economic turmoil (and the aftermath), you know that, really, who knows?

All organizations have basically put together their various strategies for either getting back into the game, moving to the next level, or something similar. Some of those strategies will be called into focus as the year progresses. Think Verizon and their slogan —  “Can you hear me now?”

As I read Sunday’s New York Times, there was an article that encapsulated IBM strategy that was devised by Samuel J. Palmisano, who is departing as IBM’s chief. In the article, Palmisano mentioned that he focused on four key questions to drive strategy and growth when he took the helm of IBM.

4 questions for business excellence

He says his guiding framework boils down to four questions:

• “Why would someone spend their money with you — what is unique about you?”
• “Why would somebody work for you?”
• “Why would society allow you to operate in their defined geography — their country?”
• “Why would somebody invest their money with you?”

The No. 1 question for HR executives and the C-Suite

I continue to read over these questions and marvel as to how these four powerful questions would frame a conversation about any organization. To me, the most powerful question in the group is the simplest — “just why would somebody work for you?” I would love to pose that question to any senior level executive as they embark on a 2012 that, by all accounts, will be another year of uncertainty.

Just imagine during the interview process if his question was posed to the interviewer, whether that is the recruiter, hiring manager or senior executive. “My question is why should I come to work for your company, what makes your organization so unique from a people prospective?” As Emeril Lagasse of Food Network, would say “ BAM.”

How would YOU answer the question?

In some companies, it would result in a deer-in-the-headlights look from the other side of the table, and probably, that powerful question would not derive a credible answer. But every person that you sit across the table from (yes, including all the employees in your organization) are asking that question in some way, shape, or form.

A low level of engagement in your organization is an incubator for these types of questions. The clarity of specific words may not be formed in this way, but they are hovering around in the employee mindset.

Can you sell your Employee Value Proposition?

This brings me to most important message that an organization must live, eat breathe and sleep — the Employee Value Proposition. This is the key link to your employer branding. Every organization should not only think through this powerful question, but also need to develop a mission statement the specifically focuses on why an employee would want to work with you.

So, what is unique about you and your organization?

• What are the major people policies?
• What processes and programs demonstrate the organization’s commitment to employees?
• How does your organization create and sustain employee growth?
• How are you developing your managers and employees?
• Are your employee rewards in balance with an employee’s performance level?
• Is your corporate social responsibility policy telling a compelling story? 

People plans need to relate to business strategy

The essence of the Employee Value Proposition  should be the central reason that people choose to commit themselves to your organization.

The branding message should be shouted from the mountaintop and used in all recruitment efforts as well as any other opportunity that offers the opportunity to tell others about your organization’s people strategy.

High performing companies know that their business strategy is viewed through the prism of their people strategy. Going forward into this New Year, there is simply no other way to get to your prescribed destination.

So, if you can’t answer the question as to why somebody should work for you, you may want to go back to the drawing board.

Believe me, everyone will be listening for your response.

Don’t Get Burned Passing the Torch

by Joel Koblenz, December 13, 2011


In the recent Atlanta Journal Constitution article from December 2011, “Don’t Get Burned Passing the Torch,” founding partner of the Koblentz Group, Joel M. Koblentz was quoted extensively on the importance of succession planning as “the” seminal responsibility of corporate boards.


These days, boards of directors at most large companies consider succession planning one of their key tasks, said Joel M. Koblentz, senior partner at the Koblentz Group.  Often, boards now formally monitor CEO’s efforts to develop their potential replacements, as well as candidates for other members of the senior executive team, said Koblentz, whose Atlanta firm advises companies on succession issues and helps them recruit executives and board directors.

“It’s only in the last few years that boards have taken it seriously,” he said. But now, in the wake of numerous financial scandals and corporate missteps over the past decade, company directors are “much more cautious” about vetting a CEO’s hand-picked heir-apparent, he said. They’re also insisting on a wider choice of candidates.

“Because it’s a lengthy process, they’re starting earlier,” said Koblentz. “The best companies are doing it continuously.”

He said it usually takes at least two years to set up a viable succession plan because it takes that long for the current CEO and board of directors to pick candidates, become familiar with their strengths and weaknesses, and rotate them through jobs to broaden their experience.

Smaller companies are at a disadvantage, he added, because often their bench isn’t deep enough to allow such juggling of jobs to groom candidates.

“There are many emerging and midcap companies who struggle with this because the costs are so expensive,” said Koblentz. “But many are concluding that it’s more expensive not to do it.”

Sometimes, however, even the largest companies appear to stumble, either because they didn’t have a good replacement waiting, the board didn’t challenge the CEO’s hand-picked successor, or board members and other players become involved in internal power struggles.

“The process fails when the CEO designates the crown prince and the board just says, ‘OK,’ “ he said.

Even so, there is an advantage to appoint executives who are in the company today.

Koblentz commented that insiders naturally have an advantage over outside hires. “They know the business. They know the culture. They know how the trains run.”

Joel is a good friend and his sage advise is something that a;ll HR executives should listen to and read his blog on www.koblenzgroup.com 

5 Reasons to Use Job Boards in Your Job Search

The world of job search is a little like the current Republican race for the presidential nomination: the lead contender is constantly shifting. In job search, although networking has always been king, the ways to do it are constantly evolving along with technology.

While searching for a job and applying online through big boards was judged to be a worthwhile activity some years ago, now there are new big kids on the block: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, in that order.

What do we know about how effective job boards actually are at yielding new hires? Richard Bolles in What Color is Your Parachute 2011, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, estimates your job board success rate at 4-10%. CareerXroads found in a 1/2011 study that 25% of hires from external sources come from job boards. Why the difference? One reason is that a lot of hires come from within a company or from employee referrals, so a correspondingly higher percentage of hires come from job boards.

Still, whether the number is the 1% (est. # of hires from Monster.com), the 4-10% or the 25%, spending your time on job boards is not the best use of your time.

However...you will still find many (most) of job seekers spending a lot of time on job boards. So what is the seductiveness of using job boards? 

▪    It's easy. You can roll out of bed and open your favorite job boards and see some that look good to you. You don't have to pick up the phone and cold call or even call a networking contact. 

▪    It's simple. The jobs give you title, often name of company, job description, requirements, and instructions for applying. You can form a picture in your mind of the job and of you doing it. You don't have to network your way into an organization seeking one of the hidden jobs whose names or requirements you may not know. 

▪    It feels proactive. You can submit your resume to any number of positions and feel a sense of accomplishment (whether warranted or not).

▪    You can do it when you feel tired or discouraged. Job search is so hard. Let's face it. Networking, whether traditional or enabled by social media, requires enough moxie to actually do it. You may not always have the energy or the courage at that particular moment.

▪    Betting is fun. Yes, you say to yourself, the percentages don't look great, but I just might be one of those who gets hired this way.

I actually think these are all acceptable reasons to give job boards a shot, particularly the niche job boards or company job portals. Even though the percentages are dwarfed by the other, more effective methods, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOU NEED A BREAK. No one can be on their best game 100% of the time. It's simply not possible. Why not use the slack time to surf the boards and apply to a few jobs? It's a better bet than playing Angry Birds.

Just as the food police say that eating healthy fats should be a modest part of one's daily diet, so keeping an eye on job boards specializing in your function or industry can be a small part of a highly effective job search campaign. So keep networking and leveraging social media, but, when you need to, relax and do what's easy. Happy New Year!

from Careerhubblog.com 

How To Kill A Presentation

I am sure each of you have made presentations that you wish you could do over. I know there are a couple I sure wish I could turn back the clock and redo. Over the years, even though we have all mastered the presentation process we have to be reminded of things not to do. So I have compiled 10 of them for you as a reminder when you do your next executive, group, or company presentation:

1. don't "wing" it
2. being fake (not being real in your delivery)
3. Forget the name of the person who introduces you, taking a stab at him/her or get it wrong in the pronunciation
4. lean on the podium
5. contradict the previous speaker
6. apologize for not being prepared
7. read every word, slide and not making eye contact with the audience
8. tell a long story that has no relevance to your presentation
9. forget your opening sentence, and
10. show slides that were a repeat from a previous presentation.

I thought I would give you some helpful hints since January is usually a kickoff to the new year. Good luck. If you think I have missed a key point please email me at wgstevene2@gmail.com 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year  from Innovativehrstrategy

An Essential Characteristic of Winning Cultures: Allowing for Failure

by Ron Alvesteffer, December 19, 2011

There is a fatal mistake that too many organizations make when they grow. It happens quietly when leaders are unintentional about creating the right culture. The mistake is the formation of bureaucracy and a cultural aversion of risk.

One of the fatal flaws of bureaucracy is the creation of rules that limit talent, including those that discourage talent to experiment for fear of failure. I once heard someone describe the fear of failure as a wet blanket that extinguishes the fire of innovation and I agree.

Great ideas are created by individuals- innovators- and organizations must not only attract innovators, they must keep them. Talent begets innovation, and innovation will only grow in cultures that embrace risk and have a tolerance for failure. If a culture is risk-averse, talent leaves and an organization is left with individuals who simply want to coast in a safe environment.

When I look back on many of the successes we’ve experienced at SEI, I see a clear and intentional process that gave our team license to fail forward.

Sometimes the process meant taking two steps forward and then one step back. But if we were to penalize individuals for having taken that one step back, as all too many bureaucratic organizations do, they would have been less inclined to take the next two steps forward.

Ideas and solutions are very rarely successful in their first iteration. Success is an evolutionary process of failing then refining; failure is an incubator of success.

Thomas Edison said, “I never failed once. It just happened to be a 2000-step process.” Failure is only failure when you don’t allow it to propel you forward.

At the SEI Technology Center, our team who tests complex computer servers rewards “extreme technical bravery” with an actual brick. “The intention is not to reward success or failure, but to encourage individuals to take risks in order to further their understanding of the technology they work with,” that according to Jake Blough, our Manager at the Technology Center. “The award is given to those individuals who take risks and “brick” machines, and is also given to those who miraculously bring the machines back to life. For us, success is having a better understanding of the machines and that can only happen when our teams feel like they have the freedom to test them to the breaking point.”

I encourage risk-takers who have a plan and who can articulate strategy to go after it. The key for leaders is understanding healthy failure from the unhealthy kind. The loss of a customer because an individuals doesn’t return phone calls is failure to be sure, but not the kind that should be embraced.

This person echoes my sentiments on how to manage and run businesses. Kill the bureaucracy so people can grow and add value to the business. 

Board Relationships

Every CHRO must have a good solid relationship with the board of their company. The CHRO must also be aware not to get caught in the middle between the Board and the CEO when it comes to strategy and performance issues with his boss. As you know, this happens more than is written about. 


HR leaders need to tread carefully when dealing with issues of their CEO such as compensation, executive perks, performance, abusive behavior, and management of talent just to name a few. If the CHRO does get into the middle it could be a career ending situation wither with his/her CEO or with the Board itself. I have a friend in Missouri who was in this exact situation and had to relay to the Board that his CEO was wrong for the job and had issues with the CFO what was hurting the company. He turned out ok, the Board trusted him and the CEO left the company. 


Word to the wise, when you are sitting at the table and I mean the Board table, be careful on how you interface with them when your CEO is there. Also word to the wise, never try to cover up anything. 


Have you been in between the Board and your CEO and how was your outcome? 

Is E-Mail Passe'

I a recent article in HR Executive magazine, Michael O'Brien writes that more and more companies are communicating internally through their own IM(instant messaging) or external IM providers. Although e-mail remains an important communication tool, the increased use of real-time technology is drowning out delayed communication methods. In a survey of over 1,400 CIOs say that extinction may soon be calling for the once revolutionary mode of communication. Part of the change in communication is being influenced by the growing human capital shift from "boomers" to Millenials and the Gen Ys. As they continue to populate the workplace this could have an escalation effect on emails' demise.

If this is true, as O'Brien says, HR must take the lead on training and communication to employees how to use the right mode of communication for a message.

How has your company adopted IM technology and is it a prime or secondary means of communication?

Does Telecommuting Hinder Your Career Growth?

a reprint form Computerworld's Eric Bloom on 11.28.11

I work within a large IT organization and the people in my department have been given the opportunity to work from home. If I do, does it reduce my opportunities for promotion and/or increase my chances of getting laid off?

First, thanks for asking. It’s great to get questions from my IT world readers. In short, the answer to your question regarding the effect of telecommuting on promotions and layoffs is that it depends on the following:

• Your company’s culture and norms regarding telecommuting
• The percentage of people at your company that work remotely
• How visible you can be on a day-to-day basis to your boss and others
• How effectively you can perform your job remotely

Now let’s discuss these items one at a time.

Your company’s culture

Companies, like people, have specific values, strengths, weaknesses, prejudices, and, dare I say, personalities. That said, consider the following questions when deciding if you want to telecommute:

• Is the company technically equipped with conference room speakers, remote computer access, and tools needed to facilitate efficient work from outside the office?
• Does your company conceptually support telecommuting or does it simply tolerate it?
• Can you remotely participate in important department discussions?
• Is there an out-of-site-out-of-mind mentality for those working out of the office?
• Is your boss supportive of telecommuting or is he/she begrudgingly providing the option because it’s company policy?
• Are virtual teams at your company managed well or managed poorly?

Percent of people working remotely

The reason I ask this question is that if a high percentage of people work from home and/or business groups are generally spread over multiple physical locations, then needed work-related processes are (or should be) in place to accommodate remote workers. If, however, you will be the only team member working remotely, you will most likely often be forgotten, not with any animosity, just due to people forgetting to call you. As previously said, you will be out-of-sight-out-of-mind.

How visible can you be from home?

The reason for this question is that some jobs, by their nature, are more connected to the people you work with than others. For example, if you are a software tester and are continually communicating with programmers, users, and other testers by email, via formal bug reports, and by phone to discuss issues, you can be very internally visible. If, however, you write documentation or provide phone-based customer support, by the nature of your job, you will be less interactive with your boss and teammates. With this second scenario, it will be much harder for you to have high office visibility from home.

How effective can you be remotely?

Certain job types are better than others regarding working remotely. For example, generally speaking, it is easier for a programmer to work from home than for a business analyst if the business analyst needs to interview users as part of the writing a functional specification for a new software application.

There is one additional potential option for you. Instead of working from home all the time, consider splitting your time between telecommuting and working at the office. That is to say, work from home two or three days a week and the remainder of the time at the office. This could potentially give you the best of both worlds, some time working at home and some visibility at the office.

In closing, telecommuting can work out wonderfully for both you and your company if, and only if, the company and your job are structured in a way that facilitates its success.

If you have any questions about your career in IT, please email me at
eric@ManagerMechanics.com or find me on Twitter at @EricPBloom.

Until next time, work hard, work smart, and continue to grow.

CEOs' Top Priority: Talent Management

In the latest PwC 14th Annual Global CEO Survey of 1,201 business leaders in 69 countries CEOs said that talent management is their top priority up from 3rd place last year. 55% of US respondents said they were going to increase their headcount in 2012. In contrast 51% globally said they would increase headcount. In addition, 75% of US CEOs plan to make major changes to their talent management strategy over the next 12 months.

This response ties into the Kiplinger Letter forecast that the private sector will add 100,000 to 150,000 jobs a month during 2012.

This is hoping that HR executives are on the same wave length as their CEO and that they have already developed their hiring and talent management plans of the coming year.

Edge - Check Your Sharpness

Every HR professional thinks they are on the cutting edge of something new. Well, almost everyone, there are the 60% who are in this field because they like people. The other 40% are in it for much more. So this is directed to the 40% group.

When I say, "have you checked your edge" I mean just that. How sharp are you today, and for that matter everyday. To be in the inner circle your "EDGE" has to be sharper than the majority of the other C-Suite members. How do you do that you say? Here are some thoughts for you to check your "EDGE":

• have you changed your thinking to reflect the current environment, and I mean, business, cultural, human capital, and external forces
• are you situated correctly on the right side of the CEO
• do you understand the meaning of thoughtware
• can you react correctly to a disaster (and I don't mean business continuity)
• can you execute flawlessly
• do you know your staff's abilities if you were absent
• are you on the same page that you should be with the C-Suite executives
• can you think freely - uninfluenced
• can you heard cats
• can you distinguish what is legitimate and what is not?

Think about these things and check your "EDGE" against them. If you cannot execute these effectively you are not as sharp as you should be and will get caught in a cultural and business crossfire someday.

EDGE is extremely important and should be evaluated daily to keep at the top of your game.