A Pack of Good News!  Scientists have confirmed what most of us already know: dogs in office foster trust and collaboration among their human companions.  As a pet-friendly workplace, the crew at Boly:Welch knows well the value of bringing our dogs to work.  We’ve been dog-friendly since our early years and have benefited all along the way.

Read more about this workplace study here

For most recruiters, it’s tough to understand how to leverage the digital social explosion of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and many more. Let’s break it down into terms we understand. Read on to see why … Facebook is like a pub; Twitter is like a cocktail party; LinkedIn is like a trade show or a corporate conference; YouTube is like Times Square on New Years Eve; A blog is like Hyde Park Corner in London and MySpace is like Woodstock!

http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profiles/blogs/recruiters-at-last-social

• Great at networking because they have a strong interest in people
• Marketing and influencing skills
• Personalizing and leveraging uniqueness
• They use technology; they are not consumed by it!

Looking around our office, most of us could identify with these skill sets that tend to indicate a successful recruitment career.  Read on to see if your in-house recruiters or agency standouts exhibit these characteristics.  http://www.ere.net/2011/03/22/4-traits-that-separate-a-great-recruiter-from-a-good-one/

As the author suggests, “the recruiting process is not about individual recruiters, though.  It is about making good matches in a seamless and efficient way.  Great recruiters figure out how to do this while appearing almost in the background.  The greatest praise you can get is when the hiring manager says, “Wow!  Did I make a great hire last week.”

The Sustainable Harvest team brings visionary ideas with lessons for all – private to non-profit! As with all Boly:Welch Community Connections events, our goal is to provide you with concrete, innovative ideas on how to leverage your business relationships to better our community. We like to say that you don’t have to be big to have a big impact!

Where:  Ecotrust Building – 721 NW 9th Ave Ste 350
Use on-street parking or exit the Portland streetcar at 10th and Johnson

When:  May 25th from 7:30 – 9:00 AM

• 7:30 AM – Join us for an outstanding cup of coffee to get the morning rolling!
• 8:00 AM – David Griswold, President and Founder, and his team will discuss how Sustainable Harvest uses the Relationship Coffee model to bring partners together in a sustainable supply chain that serves everyone involved – from the farmer to the final consumer. A win-win for all.
• 9:00 AM – Wrap up

Wake up with great coffee and a message of successful community sustainability!

How:  Please contact Kathleen Everett, k.everett@bolywelch.com, if you’d like to join us!

In 2003 the metals industry came together to discuss serious labor shortages they faced in the Portland market and started a consortium to address awareness in the public school system. The Portland Workforce Alliance evolved to become the bridge from the business community to public educators and students with their goal to increase the rigor and relevancy of curriculum, provide work experiences for students that align with the work in the classroom and to help students make more informed choices about their lives after high school.

In 2005 the Portland Workforce Alliance and the Metal’s Consortium partnered with the Portland Human Resource Management Association’s Workforce Readiness Project who were effectively working with various schools and youth workforce readiness programs in the city. Conducting workforce readiness training, mock interviewing, mentoring, internships, and exposure to career path information from more than 300 HR and Staffing Industry volunteers from our business community.

Today it has grown to become the largest, one-day career exploration and workforce readiness project in the Pacific Northwest that not only includes the Metals industry but encompasses Healthcare, Manufacturing, High Tech, Creative Services plus a wide variety of other industries that offer livable wage opportunities. Last year we had more than 6,000 high school students participating and we conducted more than 1,500 mock interviews.

We need 150 HR Volunteers to conduct mock interviews and assist in hosting, facilitation, registration and general information P/T from 8:00 to 12:00, 11:30 to 2:30 or all day from 8:00 to 2:30. Interested volunteers please contact Lisa Neef at lisa@arrivestaffing.com or 503-227-2211.

“…managers who have started to hire again face another problem: how to handle all the overqualified candidates coming through their doors. The prevailing wisdom is to avoid such applicants. But the unprecedented availability of top talent created by this recession and new research on the success of these candidates may be changing that.”

http://blogs.hbr.org/hmu/2011/03/should-you-hire-an-overqualifi.html

***Boly:Welch will be closed for remodeling January 19th – 21st and will resume normal office hours on January 24th with shiny new digs***.

During the downtime please note the following contacts:

• All employees will be available via e-mail.
• Employers new to Boly:Welch needing talent or with urgent needs should email Whitney Baker at w.baker@bolywelch.com for further information.  You will be routed to the appropriate Boly:Welch contact.
• All requests for Temporary needs please call 503-980-8715 to connect directly with our Temporary Team.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

We’d like to give a big thanks to Jennifer Johnson of the Portland HR Network for all these great tips!

1. Don’t take your job loss personally

Job loss happens to everyone at some point in their career. Learn from the past but keep a forward looking mindset and stay positive.

2. Don’t spend all of your job search time on the computer

It’s important not to be just another faceless resume. Make your presence known by networking, volunteering, or whatever works for you. A positive reputation among network connections can go a long way towards opening up opportunities.

3. Get out of your pajamas!

Create a routine for yourself and get ready for the job you want. Not the lack of job you have today. Practice how you present yourself to others.

4. Get out of the house and talk with people at least twice per week

Again, practice makes perfect. If you want to improve your odds and skills then you need to put in the time. Being comfortable with talking about your career search will translate well when you interview.

5. Go easy on yourself and find ways to reinforce and rebuild your confidence and self-esteem

Take baby steps. Set small goals for yourself and build upon the degree of difficulty as you progress. Use the momentum of your accomplishments to build your confidence and keep a positive outlook.

This Friday we are partnering with the YWCA to Stand Against Racism!

Together we can raise the awareness and work towards minimizing racism within our communities. “[Racism] is not about how you look, it is about how people assign meaning to how you look.” ~Robin D.G. Kelley, Historian

Please join us for an open house on April 30th, 2010 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm.

We’d like to invite you to participate in the following discussion topics:
• Effects of racism in the workplace
• Facts about racism
• What we can do raise awareness

Additionally participants are encouraged to wear orange and black in effort to show their support.

As a company we seek to bring people together across communities, for one common goal – the elimination of racism. Your voice can make the difference!!

To learn more please visit the Stand Against Racism website.

We look forward to your participation.

What: A Community Workshop – Learn from a panel of local non-profit organizations how you and your company can positively impact women and girls in our community. Walk away from the session with concrete ideas on how to involve your employees in activities and programs that have a huge difference in the lives of others. From volunteer opportunities to in-kind giving to partnership programs, you don’t have to be big to have a big impact!
Where: YWCA – 1111 SW 10th Avenue, Portland, OR 97205
When: May 6th from 4:30 -6:00 pm.
Who: Business owners, Human Resources, Office Managers / Administrators and anyone who wants to engage their organization in community service.

Format:

4:30 pm – We’ll start off the evening at the YWCA, on the enclosed outside deck, weather permitting. Network with friends old and new while
enjoying wine and cheese.

5:00 pm – We’ll begin the panel discussion with representatives of five amazing community organizations:

6:00 pm – Wrap up

Everyone will find a way to connect with this group of organizations focused on the health, growth, advocacy and empowerment of women and girls.
Join us for this unique opportunity to see that it’s not just about money – but leveraging your time and ideas to create value!

Interested? Email Carie at c.strahorn@bolywelch.com or call 503.242.1300 for more information and to let us know if you can join us!

Anyway, one of the principals of Boly:Welch was in Florida recently and came across an article in The Palm Beach Post.   It was courtesy of Yahoo! Hotjobs and had some excellent advice for new hires.  A link to the original can be found at the bottom.  See what they had to say:

1. Ignoring the culture
“Our company asked 250 advertising and marketing executives what the greatest challenge was for those starting a new job, and four out of ten said it was acclimating to the corporate culture,” says Donna Farrugia, executive director of CreativeGroup.com. How much should you socialize? Do coworkers prefer phone calls, emails, or face-to-face conversations? Dress shoes or sneakers? Many aspects of a company’s culture can be subtle and easy to overlook. Instead, observe everything. “Come in 30 minutes early and stay a little late just to observe how people behave–when they get their coffee, where they take their lunches, how they wrap up at the end of the day,” Farrugia says.

2. Arrogance
“Companies can set up new hires for this by treating them, when they’re hired, like they’re saviors,” says Sue Edwards, leadership team coach and president of Development by Design. “As a result, they sometimes come in and insist on doing everything their way, because they’re supposedly so brilliant.” Instead, listen and learn. Take time to understand the company and how things work before you decide to be a maverick.

3. Hiding out
The flip side of arrogance is timidity, which hunkering down with your own work can look like. Instead, build relationships from day one. “Take the time to network with your colleagues by having informal conversations to learn what others do and how it affects you,” Edwards says. “It’s also a good way to learn the culture.”

4. Not clarifying expectations
When you don’t know what’s expected of you, it’s hard to deliver. Instead, meet with your manager to discuss the responsibilities of your position and how success will be measured. What are the priorities? How should you provide project updates? How will your performance be measured?

5. Refusing to admit mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes, and new hires make plenty. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you don’t admit them, nobody notices them. Instead, accept ownership, learn, make the correction, and move on.

6. Rocking the boat
Implementing changes before you get buy-in from others–and before you understand why things are done the way they are–can lead to jeers, not cheers. Instead, keep an open mind. Fully understand the current processes and procedures before proposing your changes (if you find they’re necessary), so you can make a good case for why they should be made.

7. Not asking for feedback
You don’t have to wait six months or a year to learn how you’re doing. In fact, waiting that long could put you, your team, and even the company off course. Instead, ask your supervisor for a brief meeting after one month. Discuss what you’ve done right, where you’ve hit some snags, and how you can make corrections.

You can turn vice into virtue
Beginning a new job is never easy. If you know you’re prone to one of these sins, stop and turn that knowledge into a virtue–before it’s too late. “Remember, nobody knows you on your first day,” Farrugia says. “You want to make a lasting impression, but be sure you stand out for the right reasons.”

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-7_deadly_sins_for_new_hires-1148