Archive for May, 2010

Chaordix: Harnessing the Wisdom of the Crowds

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

As you know, crowdsourcing is at the heart of what we do here at ChumBonus, leveraging your pool of friends, family, and acquaintances and their knowledge of you and your capabilities to aid you in finding great jobs, but we’re certainly not the only ones harnessing the power of this concept. Our friends over at Chaordix are leading the way in tapping into the wellspring of knowledge and potential innovation that comes when a business turns to a ‘global pool of consumers, citizens, and partners’ for ideas and feedback.

Traditional market research relies on small focus groups or advisers for input into new company products, concepts, or bold new strategies for innovative companies who have a true desire to remain successful.  Chaordix knows that large groups of people can actually be more effective problem solvers, innovators and decision makers than smaller, more specialized groups.  Taking inspiration from James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds, Chaordix can put the hand of your business on the pulse of the masses, which in all likelihood consist of many of your customers but also free roaming problem solvers, researchers, and idea generators that lurk in everyday people like you and me.

Tapping into the mind of the crowd allows businesses to find out directly what the consumer wants and how they want it.  What better source of information and feedback than the very people who use or have an interest in your product or services?

Chaordix is not just about enlisting the help of the public for idea generation or problem solving though.  They can help your business turn inward to get a better feel for directions, strategies and improvements from the very people you depend on to make things happen: your employees and partners.  It’s a great way to build trust and a sense of community and involvement for all involved.

Turning to the power of the crowd for ideas, feedback and solutions to potentially unsolvable problems is a smart way to move your business forward in the 21st century and our friends at Chaordix can help you get started.  Check out their website at www.chaordix.com.

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How to Win at Your Business Through Summer Interns

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Summer is just around the corner, which means it is time to evaluate and hire summer interns for your business. In a down economy, interns can make a whole lot of sense – you can evaluate and groom interns to be permanent full-time employees with little risk (read: low wages or even free, school credit based internships) to your company.

Here are our top tips for hiring and managing summer interns:

1 – Choose wisely. Sure, a summer intern might not cost you much, but at the same time, they could end up costing you a lot. Check out the social media presence of interns to be – you don’t want someone badmouthing your company.

2 – Pay them. Many will argue that there is no such thing as free. If an intern gets paid, chances are they will take the opportunity more seriously. I would argue that “free” interns that are either simply getting work experience or college credit will not put their heart into the position.

3 – Look at the big picture. Summer intern help offers much more than cheap part time summer help. You should consider that you could be earning an employee for years to come.

4 – Be selective. We’ve heard the job fair stories out there – some locations have up to an 8 hour wait just to get in the door. This means that you have the ability to be very selective on who you believe is the best fit for your company.

5 – See what your University Alumni services has to offer. You may not have thought about your alma mater in a long time, but this may be the perfect time to reconnect. Contact your University’s career services department to see their internship programs. Get approved for college credit internships. Participate in their job fairs. The University scene is still a powerful network of opportunities – plus it gives you the chance to pay it forward to those that once helped you.

6 – Own up if things aren’t working out. Not everyone will be a perfect fit. The key is to make sure you are documenting the whole way through and communicating with the University/agency from which you got the intern in the first place.

Here is a great post about summer internships from an intern’s point of view.

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How to Attract and Keep Workers

Monday, May 24th, 2010

A recent article in the associated press got me thinking about how small businesses can compete in today’s world, specifically in the realm of attracting as well as retaining star talent. We’ve written briefly about this before, but the lessons to learn bear repeating.

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The Associated Press article raises 3 key points:

There’s more to a job than money. Small businesses often find themselves unable to throw more money at an employee to keep them from leaving for a better offer, but that’s OK. Sometimes it’s not really about the money, it’s about the smaller, somewhat more intangible things that can keep your talent around. Flexible scheduling is one big item on the wish list of many employees, and can be implemented without affecting the bottom line. Often, allowing more flexible work hours can even boost productivity and morale since it can have the effect of lessening the pressure of the work day and providing a sense of more control to the staff. Vacation time is another low impact incentive which can be especially effective with newer employees since, in larger companies, most folks start out with a minimum of vacation days if they have any at all. Going the extra mile to create a real sense of community can also be a great way to build loyalty. Small businesses usually operate in more ‘intimate’ and close knit work settings which can be tapped as a strength by emphasizing the more personal connection between all employees, management and staff alike. Frequent, less formal dinner meetings or after hours get togethers can foster a real sense of family and team spirit in a smaller workforce.

Keep your employees informed about the company situation, including the financials. One of the drawbacks of working for large companies is that it’s all too easy for an individual to feel like a small cog in a giant wheel, just another number. But everyone in a small business can be important and valuable, and one way to play this up is to open the lines of communication. Keep your staff informed of where exactly the business stands, how strong, or weak its position really is and what is really needed from everyone to maintain or improve performance. Giving your employees as much information as possible about your business, which is their business too, will foster a true sense of involvement and empowerment, making all involved realize they have a valuable part to play. Opening the books, so to speak, is a sure fire way to gain transparency and trust. When you share the company’s financial position with your team you’re making a statement that there’s nothing to hide and that you trust them with valuable information. They say knowledge is power and giving your employees as much information as possible about their work can result in better involvement and the realization that they too have a stake in what happens with the company.

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Don’t be afraid to let them go. As stated earlier, small businesses often do not have the financial strength to counter a more enticing offer from another company. It may be painful, and sometimes damaging, but you may have no choice but to let someone go if they are determined to move on. From the Associated Press article above, Michael McKean, CEO of a small business software company in Maryland reminds us that if more money is a primary motivating factor in keeping someone then you have consider how much loyalty they had in the first place.

This article in the Boston Globe offers some effective tips on keeping office morale high during lean times such as these. If you’re a small business owner, we’d love to hear your advice on retaining talent when push comes to shove, leave your tips in the comments section!

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How a Creative Guy Found a Job Through Google Pay Per Click Ads

Friday, May 14th, 2010

You’ve got to love the spirit of the truly creative people out there. One in particular that caught our eye was Alec Brownstein. He recently harnessed the power of Google Adwords (that’s a Pay Per Click model, to the uninitiated) to put up a few ads when top creative directors Googled their own names.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words – here is Alec’s visual rendition:

(Source)

Did you catch that? He bought $6 of Google ads and got interviews with some of the preeminent creative directors in New York. He was then later given 2 job offers and is now working on accounts for the likes of LG, Dell, NHL, LandRover, Xerox, and Virgin Atlantic at Y&R New York. What a great example of thinking outside the box when it comes to looking for a new job! If Alec had gone the traditional route of submitting resumes to all of the companies he targeted he might been just another number in a sea of applicants. He banked on his creativity and found an ingenious way of standing out from the crowd.

They say it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, but obviously, sometimes it is what you know and more importantly, what you can do with it. Are you using all of your skills and know how in searching for a new job? Don’t limit yourself to the tried and true, sometimes you have to take a chance on something new, something just a little bit different. Sometimes that’s all it takes to distinguish yourselves from the masses. You may know someone who’s got the talent and creativity to succeed in a new job, try out our search and find your brilliant friends a new gig.

P.S. – Hey Alec, with a creative mind like that I’m sure you can think of a few people you know that also need jobs. We wonder if you’ll find this post and recommend some.

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5 Great iPhone Productivity Apps

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Yes, there’s almost an app for everything out there, well almost everything. But the ones we keep coming back to time and time again are some of the awesome productivity apps, and there are several good ones.  Here we’ll showcase a handful of our favorites and ones we use everyday.

Evernote

Evernote is a powerful note taking app that allows you to capture thoughts, ideas, or anything you need to remember.  It allows for notes in text, records voice memos, and takes picture notes for images you don’t want to forget. All of your notes are tagable and searchable and organized into notebooks for easy future reference.  The iPhone app meshes seamlessly with Evernote’s web application so you’ll always have your thoughts nearby.  The app and web application are available free, but for a mere $5/month you can upgrade to their Premium service which gives you more security, more upload capacity, and a greater number of supported files types, including PDFs.

reQall

On the App Store reQall is touted as a Memory and Remembering Aid and boy, is it ever.  It’s like having another little brain living right on your iPhone.  reQall is a voice-enabled memory recorder and to-do list.  If you need to create a to-do list on the fly all you have to do speak it and reQall will transcribe what you say and organize your list for you. It recognizes dates and certain keywords which allows it to automatically recognize when you’ve just given it a to-do list item, or even a shopping list.  You can input items by voice, text, text message, IM and email so you’ll always have an option for recording something you just can’t forget.  Like Evernote, reQall has a web application interface as well which will auto-sync with the app on your phone.  A premium version can be had for $2.99/month which gives you direct integration with Google Calendar and Evernote, plus a whole lot more. 

Calengoo

Calengoo brings your entire Google Calendar straight to your iPhone.  Add and edit events and tasks just as you would from the Google interface.  It can even monitor multiple calendars and displays them with the same color schemes used by Google.  With day, week, and month views you’ll never forget about another upcoming appointment again.  Each time you start the app it automatically syncs with Google so that all your calendars stay current and even works offline too.  At $6.99 it’s a little more expensive than the average app, but considering you get the full power and adaptability of Google Calendar in the palm of your hand, it’s well worth it.

GoodReader

Although it’s no longer the only PDF reader for the iPhone, it could very well be the best one.  GoodReader’s best feature is its ability to automatically format any PDF to fit the iPhone screen so there’s no annoying side scrolling.  Transfer files to your phone via WI-FI, internet or email attachments and you’re good to go.  GoodReader can handle huge file sizes with no problem and not only reads PDFs, but Word documents and other file formats as well.  Zoom, search, and jump back and forth with ease in documents you need while on the go.

 

Dropbox

Dropbox is a simple and easy to use cloud storage solution.  Store files in Dropbox and access them from any computer or mobile device, no matter where you are.  It’s like having an invisible flash drive with you everywhere you go.  You can share access to files to allow for collaboration or just to show off some new pics you just took while away on vacation.  Dropbox’s servers automatically secure and backup your files so you don’t have to worry about them.  The iPhone app requires a Dropbox account which you’ll have a chance to create after you download the app and is also free.  After that you’ll probably want to download the desktop version on any other computer you have so you’ll have access to your box everywhere.  The app is free and that gets you a very decent 2GB of storage and if you like you can become a paying customer for more space.

There are tons of great productivity apps out there why don’t you let us know what some of your favorites are in the comments section?

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4 Tips for the Unemployed

Monday, May 10th, 2010

According to a report issued by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics on May 7, the unemployment rate increased a bit to 9.9% from 9.7% where it had hovered for the first part of 2010.  Oddly, the report also stated that some industries were adding jobs such as government, manufacturing,  leisure and hospitality.  Regardless of the difficulty in making sense of some of the numbers that constantly fly at us concerning the job market, it’s important to try to stay positive if you find yourself among the unemployed.

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Stay Social

This post over on tinybuddha.com offers several great tips for the unemployed.  As we’ve written about before here on ChumBonus, it’s important to maintain a positive outlook, and one of the best ways to do that is not to isolate yourself.  Maintain your connections with friends and family during this troubling time and you may find some much needed support and encouragement.

Stay Physical

Enduring unemployment can be difficult and trying, but your physical health is as important as your mental state during this down time.  If you’ve kept up a regular workout routine now is not the time to lapse into inactivity.  And if you look on the bright side, now you have even more time so you can devote some additional time and effort into maintaining a healthy you.  Research has repeatedly shown that physical exercise has a marked influence on our mental health so keeping to an already established workout routine can help you fend off the blues that inevitably accompany losing one’s job.  And if you’ve found yourself slipping in the physical activity department now is a great time to get back on track.

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Watch Your Finances

It goes without saying that belts will have to be tightened during any stretch of unemployment, but we found a great guide from msn.com on financial survival for the unemployed.  Many of the tips are common sense, but some are things you may not have thought of.  Setting up a garage sale, for instance, or finding items to sell on eBay might be a way to raise some much needed cash in an emergency.  Prioritizing your bills and contacting creditors for leniency is an option many people forget about or don’t realize they have when times are tough.

Mind Your Rituals

Maintaining some order and sense of regularity can also be helpful when you find yourself jobless and searching for employment.  Rituals often bring us comfort because they can inject a much needed element of solidity and dependability into a world that is constantly changing and full of uncertainty.  It could be something as simple as going out to fetch the morning paper and sitting down to read it with your first cup of coffee in the morning, or as elaborate as an hour dedicated to exercise and meditation first thing in the morning.  During unemployment, many people swear by the regular act of getting up and dressing as if they were going to work.  The regular actions of showering and getting dressed to meet the day head on help keep them centered and feeling professional even in the face of unemployment.

If you or someone you know is unemployed, help them out by pointing them to a job here on ChumBonus using our search function.  You just might make somebody’s day by helping them find their next dream job!

Do you have any tips for enduring a bout of unemployment, leave them in the comments section!

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Productivity for the Creative

Friday, May 7th, 2010

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There’s no doubt the minds of creative people work a little differently than most, and when it comes to things like productivity and flow, sometimes the approach to getting things done needs to be modified to better fit the creative spirit.

Those of creative bent often rail against the rigidity of to-do lists, and schedules and productivity systems.  This is due to creativity being linked with the right side of the brain, which has a tendency to dislike a more logical (left brain) approach to things.  Karen E. Peterson’s book, Write:  10 Days to Overcome Writer’s Block. Period., while obviously focusing on the crippling affliction of writer’s block, has some interesting insights into the creative mind which can be applied, in general, to why we sometimes sabotage ourselves in doing the things we want or need to do.

According to research cited in the book, the right brain doesn’t care about order, or to-do lists.  It wants results, and it wants them NOW.  Unfortunately it also craves perfection, so what you end up with is a compulsion to do it all, without mistakes.  You can see how this might be a problem; if you can’t complete your tasks, regardless of size, in one go with perfect results, you may feel there is no point in beginning in the first place.  You end up distracting yourself with other meaningless tasks, or time wasters in order to avoid something your right brain tells you cannot be done properly.

Peterson lays out several methods for tricking your right brain into working more smoothly with your left brain so you can be more productive.  Breaking tasks down into smaller bits, working for shorter periods of time and rewarding yourself (and your right brain) for your hard work with periods of free time during which you can do whatever you like.  In doing so you satisfy your left brain’s desire to knock off items from your to do list and your right brain’s penchant for immediate satisfaction.

There are plenty of resources on the web for productivity, such as the famous GTD (Getting Things Done) system developed by David Allen, which is wildly popular, but not for everyone as this excellent article from Zen Habits points out.  Productivity systems are great, but sometimes we can get bogged down by the system itself instead of, well, getting things done.  One of the seven tips from this article is Allow Yourself to Suck.  As we discussed above, don’t let perfection rear its ginormous ugly head and throw us off track, or worse, freeze us in our tracks so that we end up doing nothing.

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Zen Habits is a great place to start if you’re looking for simpler more intuitive productivity tips and Leo Babauta, the site’s creator, has even taken Allen’s GTD and modified it for simplicity, calling it  ZTD or, Zen To Done.  If you find the surfeit of productivity tools and systems out there too complicated and/or overwhelming you may want to try it out.

At the end of the day, you need to find the right system that works for you.  Sure, you may be a creative type, but that doesn’t mean you can’t discipline yourself to get into a regular routine.  Some people achieve this through regular breaks, others by waking up at the same time every day.  Whatever your routine, you won’t know until you try and do it enough times in a row that it becomes a routine for you.  You can still show the world all of your productivity while keeping your creative spirit.

Are you more of a creative type that runs from schedules and to-do lists?  What are your tips for getting things done?

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Are You a Candidate for Telecommuting?

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Imagine waking up in the morning and not having to rush out the door with your clothes half on, your hair still flattened against your head from sleep, getting in your car and fighting traffic all so you can make it to the office on time.  Imagine instead that you could shuffle into the kitchen for coffee then head down the hall to a back bedroom, or some free space in the basement, or just a little corner of the living room to get to your office.  This scenario sounds pretty good to a lot of people and the concept of telecommuting is gaining popularity in the work world.

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Proponents of telecommuting cite potentially huge savings for the company, the individual, and even the nation at large should telecommuting continue to gain acceptance.  According to this article on WebWorkerDaily, author Kate Lister claims billions of dollars could be saved if more of the workforce that is eligible for telecommuting took up the practice.  The massive savings would come from decreased operating costs for companies (less office space to maintain), lower fuel costs for workers who are driving less which also translates into fewer cars on the road and that itself could result in a lessening of oil consumption, few sick days, and lower overhead.  Both employer and employee win.

Of course, not all jobs lend themselves to telecommuting.  Most factory work is out because, well, someone has to be there to run the machines since they can’t quite run themselves.  Yet.  Face to face customer service would present a problem as well.  And there are many other industries that are just not suited to telecommuting.

But, if your job involves a lot of computer work, or you find yourself making phone calls and dashing off emails then you might be a candidate to shake off the old office blues.  An article written for careerbuilder.com offers some great pointers in evaluating whether you might be a telecommuting candidate.  One of the more important requirements being that you are a self-motivated individual who is disciplined and can work with little supervision.  These types of individuals tend to make better telecommuters than those that perform better in a more controlled office environment.  Also some people require the camaraderie and human contact the traditional office setting provides.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

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This article written by Sylvia Marino for the New York Times details her ten year stint as a telecommuter and dispels a few of the myths surrounding it.  For instance, many people (read: bosses) think that if you work at home you must spend the day napping and surfing the internet.  Not so, says Marino.  That’s where the self-discipline and ability to motivate yourself come into play.  Marino also says that it’s very helpful to be able to draw a line between work and, well, not work, which can be difficult when home is the office.

Telecommuting is changing the way companies operate on a daily basis, revolutionizing the way we think about work, and life.  We like to think ChumBonus is revolutionizing the job search.  In this economy many of us know someone in need of a job, and with a few clicks of the mouse you can recommend your unemployed comrade for a position.  If they’re hired, they get a job, and you get a bonus.  Everyone wins!

If you’re interested in exploring a telecommuting option for yourself, check out the articles linked above and another article recently published on WebWorkerDaily which does an excellent job of laying the basic plan for evaluating your telecommuter suitability.

If you’ve recently made the switch to telecommuting, we’d love to hear about your experiences.  Let us know in the comments.

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Featured Employer: Florida Farm Bureau Insurance Company

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

NOW HIRING:

Property, Casualty, and Life Insurance Agents


Refer a friend and earn an $800 referral bonus

Great Company to work for!

Now Hiring in These Locations:

Alachua / Levy County

Bunnell, FL

Crestview, FL

Deland, FL

Ft. Myers, FL

Lake County

Lakeland, FL

Monticello, FL

St. Lucie County

Tampa, FL

Florida Farm Bureau has an independent contractor opportunity available for a qualified licensed or licensee candidates throughout the state of Florida. The Agent would exclusively market our Life and Property/Casualty products to the Farm Bureau Membership.

The Florida Farm Bureau Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Group. Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company began over 50 years ago with a group of Farm Bureau leaders, who shared a vision for better member service and lower insurance rates. Today, Southern Farm Bureau Casualty is a $2 billion company and is in the top of its class with an A.M. Best “A+” Superior rating. Southern Farm Bureau Casualty has become a leader in the insurance industry through innovative services and competitive products for its policy holders and an extensive training program for its claims adjusters, underwriters, and independent agents.

The Florida Farm Bureau Group consists of two domestic property and casualty insurance companies, Florida Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company and Florida Farm Bureau General Insurance Company. The group specializes in writing automobile, homeowners, dwelling fire, farm and business owner’s lines of insurance for members of the Florida Farm Bureau Federation. The Florida Farm Bureau Group maintains an A.M. Best “A” Excellent rating, the last remaining A-rated Florida domestic company.

Business is marketed and serviced by a network of exclusive agents located in each county of Florida.

Compensation:

Renewal base plus commission. Extensive training in all product lines will be provided.

Required Skills:

Fully licensed Agent, preferably with both a 220 and 215 license.

Desired Skills:

We are looking for a candidate with entrepreneurial spirit, driven by achievement and financial rewards. They should have the ability to adapt to flexible work schedule and focus on sales and customer service.

EOE

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Why Companies Should Take Care of Their Employees

Monday, May 3rd, 2010


Referring back to last week’s post about why not to be a job hopper, we look at Jason Calacanis’ point of view regarding job loyalty.  He enumerates some employees that have been with him for years and explains that he would go to great lengths to support them in any way: meeting them whenever/wherever, joining their board, putting them in management/partner positions at new ventures, and the like.

It is good to see Jason supporting those that are loyal, but it fails to address another important factor. How did everyone get the job hopping mentality in the first place? Before we put on a blanket argument of an entitlement generation, I would argue that often it is the fault of the employer.

What’s in it for the Business, Anyway?

Employee loyalty for a business goes beyond giving its workers a paycheck.  In this ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ economy, employers can’t afford to lose top talent all the time.  Retention rate is extremely important.

So, how do you get employees to stay? Just offer them more money, right? Not really.  Money isn’t the sole motivator in your workforce.  Rather, people enjoy other benefits such as flex-time, telecommuting and other office perks.
Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big by Bo Burlingham of Inc. Magazine makes some outstanding arguments to companies that actually choose to walk the talk.  Some of the companies he details go beyond what you may have thought possible in today’s economic climate.  Some companies choose to be great instead of trying to grow as fast as possible.  This is not to say that companies choosing to be great aren’t interested in money and profits – they are still highly financially successful in their own right – it is just that they see profits as a means to an end.  This end usually results in superior customer service all the way around: both internal (employees that feel cared for by the companies) external (suppliers, clients, the community around them).  It isn’t easy to run a company with such mojo: in fact it becomes difficult over time to sustain the mojo for different reasons: the company might need to adapt quickly to new competitors, shifts in technology, acquisitions,  or even succession of the original founders.

Whatever their story, the small giants have found the magic it takes to get there and have left a profound impact on the world around them.  I for one value the quality of my work/life as I do not want to “switch off” simply to work.  I’ve seen too many people that are seriously unhappy in their jobs, chugging along for a paycheck.  I’m not suggesting that you don’t need to work, but there is simply so much more out there.  Once you have that rhythm, you’ll see the benefits of finding a company with mojo and sticking with them for the long haul.

…and this is what we seek to hold as a quality for Chumbonus.  You are never alone out there when you have a tight network of friends and colleagues – looking out for each other and referring each other for jobs – make your own mojo!

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