The Experience Before the Experience: 3 Things Disney Can Teach Us About Worldclass Onboarding

You’ve drunk the Kool-Aid.  You put down your deposit, and you’re now trying to figure out how to schedule dining reservations 180 days out. And, despite how much everyone has told you about FastPasses, you are still a little confused about how and when you are supposed to book them, which ones are first tier and which ones are second tier, and really, which rides are worth getting a FastPast for. There are so many choices and decisions to navigate as you embark on your first trip to Disney World! Such was my experience as we spent the spring planning

The Candidate Experience Influences The Brand

Branding is an important marketing topic. Some organizations invest heavily in a brand strategy that reaches many audiences, including the job seeker. A great brand attracts job candidates to an organization. As a marketer and HR professional, I have a unique perspective on this topic.  The marketer side understands the importance of brand equity and the HR side values the role it plays in talent acquisition.  Some organizations fail to make this connection. Other organizations offer poor candidate experiences, which cast a negative image. As a result, it harms the brand while turning away potential talent. Over the years, I

Could it Simply Be Your Generation?

There is a lot of hype out there today, and there has been for quite of a few years, regarding generations in the workplace. It has become one of the key topics to focus on when it comes to interoffice dynamics and diversity issues in the workplace. And its fun to talk about it and classify people as such. While it is obvious that different events and cultural norms shape us all and these things can help define a generation of people (for example, who is dumb enough to think that 9/11 and the computer haven’t shaped the thought processes,

7 Steps to Implement a Realistic Job Preview

Last week  we discussed why it’s important to do a realistic job preview.  So how exactly do you do it? Internships and co-op programs are long-term realistic job previews. This set up can provide a company with an opportunity to screen candidates without a making a permanent hiring commitment, but it may take too long.  For tips on starting a job shadowing program, click here. In the absence of setting up an internship or co-op program, you can do a realistic job preview in a day or a week. The ultimate goal is to simulate the work and the work

How Personality Assessment Can Help You Be A Better Leader

“This is why I’m not married anymore,” said a participant in a recent leadership training class.   She was partly kidding, but it was obvious that the results of her personality assessment, which were being used to launch the leadership training series we were conducting for her company, had struck a cord. Her personality assessment showed that she was a highly dominant, take charge, get it done kind of person.  These characteristics had served her well in her role in finance with the organization, but she realized that maybe her personality had impacted the success of her marriage. In another conversation